Suburban Scum

Name: Suburban Scum

Location: New jersey

Active since: August 2007

How do you define your overall style?

New Jersey and New York Hardcore blended together.

What do you have recorded so far?
We recorded a demo in 2007 at our friend Franks house which is pretty awful and I never want it to see the light of day. That is a poor representation of what we are now. And in the summer of 08 we recorded the 4 song demo that we currently have up on the myspace.

Why the name Suburban Scum, is there any meaning behind it?
There honestly isn't much meaning behind it. We are all from the suburbs and are generally scumbag's or were scumbag's at one point. We said it one night at a party as a joke and kind of stuck with it to this day.

Who are your main influences musically?
For the band our influences transpire from a lot of old NYHC. Madball, Merauder, Biohazard, V.O.D. (demos up to self titled), and a lot of Jersey bands that came before us ETC, Fury Of Five, Nj Bloodline, Ensign, and a bunch more. Me personally I can say I wouldn't be doing music if it wasn't for Rage Against The Machine and Deftones. Both of those bands got me very stoked when I was younger and still do and are a huge influence over what I do and how I write. Were attempting to bring things back to what they once were but still keeping it fresh. Songs with meaning behind them and stuff that isn't written just to be heavy and senseless. Shit people can connect with without writing it off as "just another mosh band".

How has the 2008 demo been received and do you think it will help you to release full length any time soon?
The 2008 demo was received pretty well actually. At least in New Jersey a lot of kids seemed to dig it. I was excited how it came out at first but can point out a few flaws and things Id like to do different now, but overall it went over very well. We played a ton of shows this year and are continuing to play out more and more as we get our lineup adjusted. Id say right now we are the most focused musically that we have ever been with the lineup that we have. We are all connecting really well. We are currently writing for a full length that will be out in the summer entitled "Suburban Discipline" and that will be out on Ride The Fury Records. We are like 6 songs deep into the writing process and are going to right about 4 more. Once were set were going to go record with Will over at the Machine Shop in Jersey and let him work his magic. We couldn't be more excited to let this hit peoples ears.

What are some of the things you're talking about in your lyrics?
I talk about anything that I'm feeling at the moment. Personally I struggle with a lot of depression and a lot of that comes out on the new songs. Im very hard on myself. Honestly anything that I find wrong I write about. Im pretty up front.

I've seen the footage of your live show and this shit looked very intense. Is it something you have to practice and work on or does it just flow naturally?
I mean Id say it flows naturally. There's not a certain thing we do that were like "ok at the next show this is what's going to happen." We kind of just let everything come together and what you see is what you get. Thank you though I appreciate the compliment.

So what's the hardcore scene like in New Jersey right now?
The scene right now in NJ is actually picking up a lot right now. Im starting to see a lot more kids at shows that I don't generally know and kids are broadening their horizons and being less picky with certain bands they accept or listen to. Shows are drawing very well and each section of New Jersey has something going on. A lot of local bands doing there thing and adding their own flavor to the scene which is always nice to see. Everyones doing something different and its only growing. It seemed like there was a dry spell in New Jersey and that seems to be over. Im very excited about it.

How do you think it compares to the times when bands Fury Of V or E-Town Concrete were killing it?
Well Ive never actually had the chance to see Fury which is a shame but im only 21 and they were ripping it up when I was like 11. I got a lot of respect for them and all of the bands in that era. ETC lasted a while after that and I can say ive seen them more than Ive seen any other one band in my life. Proud to say that too. Id say right now its a lot less rough than it once was. From the stories that I heard Jersey is "nothing like it once was" but I can't draw that conclusion because I wasn't there. I just want to make New Jersey as good as It can be right now and not worry about the past but look onto a bright future.

What are some of the things you don’t like about the hardcore scene?
There are a few things I don't like. I don't like how picky kids are or how kids write things off because its not considered "cool" to like. A lot of people like let people force whats in down their throats and its hard changing a lot of peoples minds or getting them to listen to you. I can't stand people who walk around with elitist attitudes either. No one in the hardcore scene deserves to be bow downed to or looked up to. Everyone is the same and should be treated the same.

What can people expect from you in the near future? Where do you hope the band will be in a year’s time?
Well you can expect Suburban Discipline to be out this summer. We are going to be doing a few weekends in the summer. Everyone works so touring may not be a possibility. We'll see what happens and ride out the full length. People may hate it and i may be getting ahead of myself. In a years time I hope we have out a solid release that can open up a few eyes and ears and have some solid shows under our belt. That is all.

Is there anything else you want to add?
Add Ride The Fury Records and check out all the bands that Pat is working with.

Check Suburban Scum at: http://www.myspace.com/suburbanscumnj