Black Friday '29
Interview with Bjorn made on 15/12/05Leo: Hey there Bjorn. Hope everything's going ok. What have you BF29 guys been up to lately? I heard you're slated to record a new album sometimes during the new year, ain't that true? On which label is it coming out?
Bjorn: Hey Leo. We are doing well. We have been taking a break due to my university exams, but now we’re back on track and playing shows almost every weekend until the end of the year. We are happy about playing the Trial and H-Street reunion show in Budapest on November 19th!!! We are also writing new tunes for an upcoming full length on GSR. I reckon we will record around April/May. The songs we have written so far are more diverse than ever before, but still Black Friday29, still hardcore the way we play it!
Leo: Straight on to your music: I think your sound is definitely influenced by a band like Judge. Would you elect them as your main influence ever, or other bands had a heavier impact on your music?
Bjorn: Yeah, well we have also been covering Judge on some past shows, it is one of our favourite bands. I guess the heaviest impact on our music have had the Cro-Mags. I mean we would never want to compare us to them, but that is the one band everybody in Black Friday´29 rates very high. I think a list of bands we have covered pretty much sums up our main influences, so here is it: DYS- Wolfpack, Minor Threat- seeing red, Slapshot- in your face, Judge- fed up, Youth of Today-Expectations, Sick of it all- lobberin time, Chain Of Strength- true till death, Eyeball- talking straight, Floorpunch- no exceptions, Outburst- no choice, Side by side- side by side, Mouthpiece- left of you, Madball- across your face, Cro-Mags- it’s the limit, Killing time and some more which I cannot remember as of now.
Leo: Even though you play kinda brutal hc, your lyrics are mostly positive and constructive. Where do you draw inspiration to write them? From everyday life, from what happens in the world, from the things you see happening in this society?
Bjorn: Some lyrics are positive, some are rather negative, but all lyrics are constructive in a way that it helps to get rid of frustrations from every-day life. We basically write about everything that we like or hate, but mostly we write about negative feelings or bad experiences. I think it doesn’t matter if your lyrics are positive or negative what matters is that you get some kind of essence out of it.
Leo: Do you think hardcore is more about the music or the message? For instance, do you think that a band that declares the war in Iraq was a necessary step, really has hc foundations?
Bjorn: Hardcore for me is a lifestyle. And that lifestyle includes the music and a critical mind. If a band or an individual thinks war as a way to solve problems is a good thing, I can not think of him as a person with a critical mind, but that is only my humble opinion. The war in Iraq is as much of an economic game as the war in Israel or the us-American bombings in parts of muslimic Africa, and therefore is not justified at all but a crime against humanity.
Leo: Do you think hardcore is getting too popular these days, with all these bands playing bad metal that claim to have hc roots and all these major TV networks playing video of bands somehow related to hc? Everybody says it’s good that hc is getting this big so all the little bands who play their asses off getting little money can benefit of that. But according to you, is that really true, or does this actually allow mainstream acts like Hatebreed to get more money?
Bjorn: In Germany only a few bands really get mainstream attention and those gnarly make a living by playing in a band. A band like Black Friday´29 will probably never really benefit from this new trend. But I believe that all the bands that are on top right now really deserved it because they have had a hard time being a touring underground band, what demands a lot of effort, so I rather give them respect instead of putting them down. But I can’t see this happening to BF29, as we are a DIY Hardcore punk band.
Leo: Being that your country, how would you describe the scene in Germany? I always hear that the shows attendance is really good there, but what about the average level of the bands playing hc? I know very few good names, and I would have to confess that the majority of Germany based bands I know mostly play tough guy hc and that kind of stuff. And some German friend I have tells me it’s pretty much like that. Does it correspond to the truth?
Bjorn: Yeah that is true. Many bands here play more metallic or tough guy influenced hardcore. But there are a few good old school bands such as RIGHT HERE, SOMETHING INSIDE. And to us it doesn’t really matter what style of HC a band is playing as long as they are honest persons. For example Fink and I (singer of our best friends ZERO MENTALITY) went into the studio of CALIBAN to record backup vocals for their upcoming long player. And SETTLE THE SCORE who some people judge as a tough guy band are some of the nicest dudes and our real good friends. Then we also have bands like TEAMKILLER from Stuttgart who are not that different from BF29. But I don’t really like to describe “the German†scene, since I rather see the hardcore scene as an international network. For example we are friends with THE RUMBLE and SOLID GROUND from Switzerland, RISE AND FALL and JUSTICE, NO TURNING BACK from Belgium/Netherlands, and even met the guys from TO KILL from Italy way more often than some other bands from Germany who might be living in the next city. We just don’t care about what is hip in Germany these days or what bands are big right now as far as the people are cool to hang out with and honest at what they are doing. And it does in no way matter from which country they are.
Leo: A dumb question now: Where does the name of your band come from? I could have maybe gotten if that '29 would have been a 17, but in this way, I don't get its derivation. Won't you please tell us something about that....
Bjorn; The Black Friday´29 was the worst day in the year 1929. The stock markets crashed down and the economy crisis was the first one with worldwide results. In 1929 the “Black Fridayâ€, who got its name for a stock market crash in the 19th century, was on a Thursday but the effects in Europe take place the day after, on a Friday. The people at that time basically lost all the material goods they had. Wall Street brokers commit suicide by jumping off the wall street rooftops. This day led to the great depression which is responsible for the acceptance of the politics of Hitler in Germany or Mussolini in Italy. Black Friday´29 is about facing bad situations and almost seeing no way out but you should continue to struggle to still keep on track and not let this world get you down. Brighter days will always come.
Leo: Is Black Friday 29 a sXe band? Not that it matters too much, but I'm just asking it. By the way, is anyone vegan, vegetarian?
Bjorn: Yep. Everybody in Black Friday´29 is straight edge but not everyone is vegetarian anymore. Some chose to start eating meat again while others are still vegan or vegetarian. Everybody in the band is either aware of the importance of vegetarianism or just doesn’t believe in it anymore, but all of us have once been critically thinking about the advantages of vegetarianism and I think it is sad that many HC kids nowadays don’t even give it a thought.
Leo: Is there a city that you guys love playing the most, where you get a response like no other places?
Bjorn: Of course in our home area the Ruhrpott and in our second home in the east of Germany. That is where we get the best reactions usually. But we do love playing everywhere. It doesn’t matter to us if we play in front of punkrock kids, straight edge kids or whatnot. We will always play with a lot of energy and fun and try to give this energy back to the audience. But naturally we also like to play in beautiful cities such as Barcelona, Sheffield or Lisbon where we love to hang out and have good friends to hang out with.
Leo: Talking again about the worldwide hardcore scene now, where do you see it going? Do you think too many bands today lose sight on the importance of the message a song carries with itself?
Bjorn: Yeah… many bands don’t care too much about the message anymore, but on the other hand it is always hard to discuss. Was it better at a time when every band had three songs about vegetarianism/veganism because it was trendy at that time when nowadays none of them is veggie anymore? I sometimes have negative feelings when realizing the high number of unconscious minds but it won’t get me down as long as I am going to stick to my ideals. For me personally the message of HC bands will always be a fact differentiates HC from soulless music genres.
Leo: And more specifically: Many people involved into euro hc bands told me that they actually think our scene is the most competitive around, even better than the American one. Do you agree on that? Do you think Euro HC scene has ever been as good as now?
Bjorn: I definitely support this thesis. European hardcore is better than it was ever before and European bands nowadays sometimes headline over American touring bands. It seems as more and more people begin to realize that it doesn’t really matter where a band comes from but it matters how much heart they put into their band. I have the greatest respect for American hardcore since America is where it all started, but at the moment I think Europe has many bands that are better than some American bands (of course that can be said the other way round as well). But I think it is the first period ever now, that European bands get a lot of recognition and work as productive and professional as American bands. The promoters here do a better job, because you will always get a meal and a place to sleep after a show. European Hardcore is really really good at the moment!
Leo: Somewhere, a while ago, I read an interview of yours on the internet where you guys openly criticized One Life Crew, their lyrics and their attitude. Even in the case that was just a joke. Since I totally agree with you, and every once in a while I hear appreciations for bands like OLC or even Pitboss 2000, I wanted to ask you: Do you think there somehow is a racist component into the hc scene these days? And if so, do you think it has always existed?
Bjorn: I guess there have always been some people who had conservative or even racist ideals. I am not amused that even nowadays people accept retarded crap like that. But even in the early eighties there have been hardcore bands who were conservative, racist, a lot of them were homophobe. So what can we do apart from showing our ideals and speaking up against crap like that when it seems to come back? Like I said in that interview you’re referring to. I don’t really know anybody from OLC or PB2000 personally, so I cannot really judge them, but I don’t like attitudes like theirs floating around in the hardcore scene and if all they say was meant as a joke they should rather continue being second rate comedians somewhere else, because their jokes are just not funny to me. But still this is just my personal view.
Leo: Future plans? Are you gonna be doing lots of touring in the upcoming months? Remember than in January/February we're expecting you guys here in Italy...
Bjorn: First off our latest cd “the Escape†is gonna get released in Brazil on Caustic Records. And then this winter Bridge 9 records will release a split 7†of Black Friday’29 and our friends from Death before Dishonor from Boston. We are very much looking forward to these outputs since the other persons we are working together with on those outputs are just awesome! And yeah… we will tour shortly after Christmas in Germanys east and in Poland and we will also try to come down to Italy soon. I am figuring out flight prices to Italy, etc. as we speak.
Leo: Who’s gonna Save the Scene?
Bjorn: Good clean fun is: “On the streets, saving the scene from the forces of evilâ€. What a crappy title. Haha… no… seriously. Of course Black Friday´29 is saving the scene as well as you are with putting out that fanzine and keeping DIY hardcore ethics alive. Thanks a lot for that and for giving us the opportunity to promote our band in here. It is very much appreciated. Check us live, once you get the opportunity and go to our website:
http://www.blackfriday29.com!
Take care, peace.
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