Interview with Agnostic Front

Interview by: Louie B.

Bigwheel met up with Agnostic Front in their dressing room an hour before they were due to take the stage at the Key club in Hollywood. Here’s what went down..

The band is currently on tour in support of your guy’s new album, how are the new songs going over? Is there a stand out single that fans are already going crazy for and singing along to?
Roger - We don’t know yet, this is our 3rd date of the tour, so we really don’t know. We shot 3 videos off this album, it could be any of those 3, That’s Life, A Mi Manera, or My life my way.

Were any of those songs debuted at Punk Rock Bowling a few months back? Or are these songs being played for the first time on this tour?
Roger - Punk Rock Bowling was more of a retro set.
 

How monumental is this album for you as a song writer and front man, it’s your 10th album, was there more pressure coming into this than your previous record?
Roger - No, not really, we just did what we like, and how we feel. We never even knew it was our 10th album, we just did whatever felt right and genuinely true to us, the results are there.

 Was this album recorded in New York City?
Roger - It was recorded in Florida, we went to Florida to record, away from New York, we like to get away.

Over the years the bands style has changed a bit, you guys have also covered different issues with your songs. Were there any issues you touched on with this album that hadn’t been covered previously with AF?
Roger - I don’t really think so, but one of the things that made this album a little different is that it’s an unfortunate fact that Mike’s mom passed away, we covered some of that on the record with the track “More than a Memory”. But other than that we always speak about social and political stuff that happens around us on a day to day basis.

When you guys came back with the record “Another Voice” about seven years ago, your sound was a bit heavier than before, your guitars were tuned down, double pedal drumming was re introduced to the AF sound, you guys were touring opening for Hatebreed..
Mike - We still do!
Roger - We are still tuned down to D, we just felt like we wanted to come down a little bit and feel it out.

I think it’s worked out really good for you guys. As a vocalist, do you find it easier to sing over heavier music?
Roger - For this kind of music, what I’m doing with this, yeah, I mean I like to sing vocally to the bass, and with bass being low I get more of a growl, I like that better.

How did Mike Gallo (bassist) come about joining AF?
Roger - We met on Dateline !
Mike - I was actually in a band called On the Rise, we recorded at the same studio..
Roger - They never rose! It was more like On the Decline!
Mike - I just met them at the studio and like next thing ya know 2 years later I was in the band!
Roger - That’s the truth!!
Mike - That really is the truth!

Were you always a fan of AF while getting into playing music and hardcore punk?
Mike - Absolutely, it’s a dream come true.
Roger - Everybody’s a fan until they’re actually in the band!
Mike - Yeah hahahahah!! It becomes a job, and then ya hate em! (Everyone in the room is laughing hysterically)

The core members of AF have always been you Roger, and Vinnie Stigma. Some say you’re like the ‘Mick and Keith’ of Hardcore punk..
Roger - Yeah we’ve been together for almost 30 years!

That’s longer than most marriages!
Roger - Haha yea tell me about it!
Stigma - Hey me and you think alike! Like a bad marriage we stay together for the kids! (Everyone’s laughing)

Can you describe the band/working chemistry between both you and Vinnie Stigma? How do you guys keep moving forward and continue to write new music after all these years?
Mike - I’d would say it’s gotta be Roger, he’s a fucking workaholic!
Roger - I’m a workaholic! Stigmas’ got all the character for the live shit, I do all the work, all the hard work! Stigmas’ the entertainer!
Stigma - There’s a lot to a band ya know, a lot of the guys in the band; religion, political, social, ego - Ya gotta watch all those things! Ya know were a family.
Roger - This band has always been family based. Even Mike who’s been in the band for 10 years, and Joe..
Stigma - Yeah Mikes been in the band for 10 years now!
Roger - We’re pretty easy going to be honest with you..
Mike - Yeah once we got rid of my brother! Things are a lot easier going.
Roger - The drummer is the newest member of the band, he used to drum for Leeway.
Vinnie - He’s been my friend for 30 years! When we needed a drummer it was a no brainer! He’s our friend too.

The punk rock and hardcore scenes have seen a lot of change of the years, some say these changes have been for the worse, some say they’ve been for the better. AF has obviously been around to see the transformation. Are there things in the scene that you guys feel still need to change?
Mike - It’s hard to say, things are so different now. The internet has changed everything ya know. I think it’s a little too accessible, ya know what I mean? It’s kinda like I feel like things are too easy. Ya used to have to work harder to look for music, and hand out flyers. I used to like that aspect. It works for you, but it can work against you. Oh and record sales, that’s the main thing, I’d like to change that, no musicians can really make a living off sales of their music, you’ve got to tour breaking your ass.
Roger - We used to go out on tour to support our records! In 2011 we go on tour to support our t-shirt sales! There’s no point in records almost.
Vinnie - I’d like to see more clubs opening up, cabaret laws ease around in the cities. More for the artist, more for the musicians, not the artist! But the musician! We need more noise in the scene!

I interviewed Howie Pyro who’s a punk veteran of NYC just a few months back and he mentioned how hard things were becoming in New York when Giuliani came into power, it wasn’t easy to run clubs anymore. On AF’s Riot Riot Upstart album on the track “Police State” you guys shout “Giuliani Fuck You!” Is there still an issue in New York, is it harder for bands to play in the city, especially since CBGB’s closed down?
Roger - The actual city itself is shot for clubs. Everyone has to go away from the city, the clubs are in the suburbs - Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island. The city is hard, probably like what’s going on here in Los Angeles, the price are insane just to even run an event, its just so costly, everything goes up with it, it drives clubs to different areas.
Stigma - Once CB’s closed, that was a death to America. That was Americas club! They say Giuliani is America, FUCK HIM! CBGB’s was there way before that fuck!

AF has been around for years, you’ve toured with tons of bands, legendary bands who are no longer around even. Is there an AF bucket list of bands that you guys want to play with before AF calls it a day?
Stigma - Before we die?!
Mike - We played with Rancid last night for the first time, that was really cool. Rancid fans dig New York hardcore!

Roger, I know that in The Disasters, you cover Cocksparrer’s “England Belongs to me”, though you change the chorus to “New York Belongs to me”.. Was playing with Cocksparrer a huge moment for you and AF as a band? We caught that show in Vegas at Punk Rock Bowling, our minds were blown!
Roger - Absolutely, Cocksparrer is an influential band to Agnostic Front!
Stigma - Yeah! We play with them a lot!
Roger - We played a bunch of times with Cocksparrer, you name it we’ve done it!
Stigma - Cockney Rejects! Anti Nowhere League! UK Subs! They’re all good friends of ours!
Mike - If there was a band we’d want to play with, it’d be Minor Threat and The Ramones! I can’t think of any other bands I’d want to play with!
Roger - We played with Minor Threat! Well before Mike was in the band.
Stigma - I could go for coffee!

So Roger, you got involved a few years back with a clothing line. Dirty Devil Clothing, does that still exist?
Roger - It exists as American Made Kustoms now. I no longer do Dirty Devil. Hopefully we can finish that chapter, this year were supposed to end that agreement, hopefully we can so we can just continue doing AMK. I’m really focusing on that!

 How did you get involved with designing?
Roger - It’s just stuff that I like, stuff that I would like to wear, its based on my life style, hardcore, rock and roll, bikes, cars! That’s an American Made Kustom’s shirt right there! (Points over to Mike)

I’ve heard in the past you’re a motorcycle mechanic as well!
Roger - I can fix motorcycles, cars, I can fix everything!
Stigma - Houses! Plumbing! Electricity! Rogers good like that!
Mike - A Jack of all trades! Masters of None!
Stigma - I’m the master of None!
Roger - Masturbator!

When you’re writing songs at home, is it hard for you to distinguish what you want to keep as a song for AF or The Disasters?
Roger - No no, both bands write two completely different. We all write together for each different bands. It started out that way. There was a bunch of songs I had written that we didn’t do for AF, but that was years ago.

Where do you see the band in the next 5-10 years?
Roger - I don’t know, that’s a hard question! Ya never know what’s around the corner? As long as there’s a demand for AF we’ll be there, whether were playing or in general, well be there. 100 years from now people will still be listening to “Victim in Pain”.
The truth is were still very passionate and keep giving back to the scene.

Any last words for the fans reading out there?
Stigma - Yeah ! If you’re in NYC come out and visit New York Hardcore Tattoo! It’s my tattoo shop !
Mike - Go out and buy our new album “My Life My Way” !!
　
Bigwheel would like to thank Roger, Vinnie Stigma and Mike of Agnostic Front for their time and for being great interview subjects. Catch them across N. America as they continue to tour in support of their 10th album, My Life My Way.

 

 

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