HOT CROSS

by Mike Andriani

For years, Hot Cross has made their mark on the underground by issuing some of the most urgent, technically minded, cutting edge Hardcore around, and done so in a manner that adheres to their DIY ethic as a band by releasing their music on drummer Greg Drudy's label, Level Plane Records. Now, after some lineup shifting, dealing with real life and taking some time to create a fully realized work, Hot Cross is back with a new album, Risk Revival, on Hope Division/Equal Vision. Lead vocalist Billy Werner took time out of his schedule to answer my questions.

Under the Volcano: The last full-length effort from Hot Cross was 2003’s Cryonics , and now that Risk Revival is about to hit streets, how much do you feel the band has grown since then? Furthermore, in seeing the band perform a few times of the last year or so, there was a sense that you were priming yourselves for this release. Is there a sense of relief for the band?

Billy Werner: Since Cryonics, we’ve learned what we want out of a recording, and I think the songwriting has developed into a tangible, individual style. We’re all happy with the songs on Cryonics, but feel that technical aspects of the recording could be beefed up to better replicate our live sound and where we were coming from sonically in 2003. Each recording has been a way to earmark the ways in which the band changes year by year; I feel lucky that we’ve been able to document our growth with each new release. I should also mention that in a more literal sense, we’ve actually shrunk since Cryonics. In 2005 we became a four-piece and had to spend some time working on old material and new material simultaneously to get in gear with the revised lineup. So far it’s worked out well.

There’s definitely a sense of relief within the band that this record is finally done and about to see the light of day. Although with all the logistical nightmares we’ve experienced over the last four years, I don’t think any of us will feel completely relieved until the album is actually in our hands and we can see that it’s a solid piece of matter than exists in the real world. It’s been a really long haul.

UTV: One thing that has always been synonymous with Hot Cross releases is that as a band you’ve staunchly held on to the DIY ethic of putting out your own records via Level Plane. With that being said, why and how did the current relationship with Equal Vision come about? Additionally, what was thought process in terms of issuing Risk Revival on the imprint Hope Division, as opposed to Equal Vision proper?

Billy Werner: When you’re a completely DIY band in 2007, you eventually hit a ceiling with regards to who’s going to discover your music and how many people you can reach. We had a very good run doing everything on our own, and for the most part we still operate the same way. The only difference now is that we have an entity with a built-in audience of hundreds of thousands of people, and a huge pool of resources supporting what we do and paying the bills. We’ve still been booking our own shows, choosing our own artwork, deciding who’s going to record us and who we want to work with on a day to day basis. I think a lot of kids have the misconception that when you sign to a larger label you’re automatically pandering to an authority figure, and you cease to control the way in which you do things. For us, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

We have a mutually respectful relationship with Equal Vision; they let us do our thing, and we let them get the record out there and then help the band play in front of new people. We couldn’t really ask for more. The label approached us as fans, and the fact that they sincerely enjoy what we do and how we operate is what led us to working with them. It wasn’t an easy decision to let someone else into the picture, but Equal Vision was basically the only label that we would have considered allowing to be involved.

As for Hope Division, Dan Sandshaw, who signed us, thought we were a good fit for the label and a good band to help kick off Hope Division’s existence. Currently there are two other bands on the imprint, Action Reaction and Olympia. It’s exciting in that bands on the imprint are worked the same way Equal Vision bands are, but it has its own character and ethos. It should be interesting to see how it develops, and to have an imprint and newer bands evolving together.

UTV: Following up on the relationship with Equal Vision, given the bands long history within the DIY Punk and Hardcore community, how has the reaction been?

Billy Werner: The reaction’s been mixed, but 90% of our fans are happy to see us succeed, which is nice. You’re always going to have the few people who think that band should write its debut EP over and over and never appeal to anyone other than their 20 friends, but we’ve never been interested in that. I don’t understand how bands can make the same record over and over and play to the same people for many years and not find it excruciatingly boring. We’re interested in doing different things, so we make decisions based on keeping things fun and interesting for ourselves. As I said, most of the kids into the band understand that, and I think Equal Vision is infinitely more respectable and passionate than many other large labels that we could have gone with. I think a lot of kids realize that as well.

UTV: Musically speaking, Risk Revival, in my opinion, is some of Hot Cross’ most varied as well as accessible work to date, yet honestly I feel it’s just as urgent as earlier Hot Cross records. Was it a careful--or even conscious--effort to achieve the final outcome? Especially in regards to how the vocal approach is wondrously varied this time around, was there a mode of thinking that you can’t scream your head off all the time?

Billy Werner: We don’t really set out to write things a certain way. The songs just evolve and come out the way they do. Each member of the band pushes themselves individually, so I think there are individual goals, but as a band we just write and figure out what we like and don’t like. I think Risk Revival is just a reflection of the band’s unwillingness to be pigeonholed as this type of band or that type of band.

I worked hard and long on the vocals, and the response has been mixed. I think they’re strong and authoritative, two elements that I feel were absent in a lot of the older recordings. I’ve learned what my limits are, and I work around them and try to be creative. Josh Jakubowski, who recorded us, had some input on vocal arrangements, and he really pushed me to execute what you hear. I really don’t have any interest in just screaming anymore. It’s boring, limiting and overdone.

UTV: Word is that Risk Revival was originally recorded with Mike Hill [from Anodyne] but was later scrapped. What prompted that decision to be made?

Billy Werner: We just weren’t too happy with the final mix, and we started catching performance flaws and things on our end that could have been done better. Originally, we were just going to remix the recording, but as time went on, we realized it would just be better to re-track it. Mike spent a lot of time with us and worked hard with us, which can often be difficult in and of itself. We were very appreciative and have a good relationship with him; it just didn’t turn out like we wanted. Sometimes that happens, so we learned what could be done better and started from there.

UTV: It’s no secret to long-time fans that Hot Cross has former members of the largely influential Saetia, a band whom many credit for spearheading the crop of emotionally-driven, often chaotic Hardcore that has for better or worse has become referred to as Screamo. Now that it’s said and done, has it been somewhat hard to create new music ideas in the shadow of your former band?

Billy Werner: It hasn’t been hard at all; Saetia doesn’t really cast a shadow on Hot Cross, thankfully. We did what we did 10 years ago, and we do what we do now. I think people like to romanticize the past, and it doesn’t really go any further than that. It’s nice that our old bands are appreciated now, but for us they serve as the way in which we all learned how to book tours, release records and get along in a band environment. That’s about it, really.

UTV: Since we’ve waxed nostalgic a bit in talking about Saetia, I was hoping you give your insight on Punk and Hardcore as you see it today. As stated previously, Saetia was instrumental in ushering in a new era of DIY Punk and Hardcore; what changes have you seen over the years? And are those changes for the better or worse?

Billy Werner: Basically, if you’re a band now you can get by with little to no work. Kids are signing million dollar deals, and they haven’t even done a US tour or played a basement show--it blows my mind. Even on a small scale, who makes demos anymore? Everyone writes eight songs and records an LP that comes out on 90 colors of vinyl and follows it with a five month world tour. There’s little to no emphasis on just being a band--writing some songs, cutting a demo, playing locally and supporting a local scene. Everyone wants to form a band, buy a van and hit the road. Where’s the idea of earning the privilege of touring, or building some sort of small fanbase locally, then regionally and THEN nationally? Those ideas are extinct, and it’s a bumout.

Everyone will blame the internet and that’s partially responsible, but there’s no reason why younger bands can’t take on the responsibility of doing things in a meaningful way. It’s also so easy to find out about bands and shows--a young kid getting into underground music doesn’t even really need to leave his house and meet people to hear bands or buy records. That’s why there’s no such thing as a local scene or a national network of scenes working together. Everyone lives in an individual vacuum and can accomplish in three weeks what bands and labels used to build over the course of years. It’s great in some ways, and very detrimental in others. I suppose the best thing to do is to be optimistic. The people who have a passing interest will go on their way and make room for sincere people who are willing to work and create meaningful things.

UTV: If I may interject myself into this next question, just today I turned 29 and yet I still love being involved in Punk and Hardcore, in fact more so than ever. From being in a band, to doing a label and even writing for this here fine publication--it’s this , not my 9 to 5 life, that I feel really defines me as an individual. Being that you guys are veterans so to speak, with real life looming such as marriage, owning a home, careers, etc, etc. what drives the members of Hot Cross to continue be a part of Punk and Hardcore?

Billy Werner: It sounds cliché, but it’s just a part of us. We all identify as “punks” in one way or another. We don’t have liberty spikes and we don’t dumpster dive, but our experiences in Punk and Hardcore have made us who we are and define how we live our day to day existence. I have no doubt that most people think we are not “punk” enough, or not REALLY into Hardcore, but after 15 years of going to shows, putting out records and maintaining a certain political and ethical ethos you learn not to care what other people are saying or doing. We aren’t outspoken about being “punk” and most people interpret that as not being punk at all. I suppose none of us have ever felt the need to describe ourselves to other people that way. Personally, I’ve gotten so much out of Punk and Hardcore and my involvement with it that I view staying involved as a way to “give back,” in a sense. I feel like Punk and Hardcore exist because there are enough people who understand this idea of giving rather than just taking.

UTV: In regards to changes in Punk and Hardcore, over the last few years we’ve seen quite a few staples in the scene fold--bands, venues, labels, zines and even record stores. Such benchmarks as CBGBs, Heart Attack, etc., have called it a day. What’s your take on these events of the last few years? Is it a harbinger of things to come, or is do you feel it’s pertinent to Punk and Hardcore’s longevity to tear down our own institutions to create new ones?

Billy Werner: Everything comes to an end, and punk has always been able to regenerate itself. Bands break up, venues close, but something new comes along that kicks people in the ass and gets them excited again. Punk is about moving forward from the past and making your own present. I understand liking older bands and celebrating what came before, but to be nostalgic for the sake of nostalgia was always what punk stood against. I kind of hate the overwhelming trend that everything has to sound like what came before it and have this kind of uniformity with the past.

UTV: One idea that has been a constantly endorsed in Punk and Hardcore throughout the years is the idea of communication. For years this idea was shared through rather archaic yet workable means via zines, pen pals and record/tape trading. Now that technology has caught up and provided people better means to communicate via message boards and email, do you feel as if Punk/Hardcore has benefitted from this technology, or has it been squandered?

Billy Werner: It’s benefitted in the sense that you literally have a world of people at your fingertips. It’s been detrimental in the sense that there is little to no accountability for anything anymore.

UTV: Touching on Risk Revival once again, does Hot Cross have any plans to tour in support of the new album? And if so, how does a band make touring feasible in 2007 with soaring gasoline prices, and quite simply the fact that there are more bands--and subsequently more shows going on--these days?

Billy Werner: That’s a very good question, and we’re trying to figure that out ourselves. The likelihood of us doing a full scale US tour is slim; financially it makes no sense. Whatever you get from the door goes into the gas tank and then some. We don’t usually work with guarantees, and we aren’t a band that will tour for 10 months out of the year and clear twenty thousand dollars every few months. We need to approach the US in bite-size pieces and do regional tours. It may take us longer to get everywhere, but if you approach touring intelligently you can still do well. We’re still trying to figure out the best approach. But, yes--this year we expect go get everywhere stateside, hit the UK and hopefully mainland Europe as well.

UTV: What would you like to see happen within the construct of Punk and Hardcore in 2007?

Billy Werner: A return of some kind of worth ethic.

UTV: In closing what can we expect from Hot Cross in the coming year?

Billy Werner: Hopefully, happiness and another year of evolving into the band we would like to be. X