In the past few years it seems the focus has been on “rock” that’s more about writing to Maria, checking an option with Juliet and so forth and so on. Not that those are bad bands, hell, I love those bands. They’re fun and cute, but sometimes you yearn for something more. You want music that points a finger at authority and engulfs your i-Pod with the sounds of something…heavier. Cue in Still Rings True. They’re a pop punk band who’s sound falls on the punkier side of the genre with wild chords mixed with passion induced vocals for fans of Carridale and Three Cent Cinema. So check out what Still Rings True’s own Josh Snyder had to say about East VS West, their latest Tear Down the Walls and songs of rebellion.

Kendra: With all the resources today, bands have the option to handle most things by their selves, which you guys do. What are the up and down sides of the DIY method?

Josh Snyder: There’s so many pro’s to doing things DIY…number one is you’re in complete control of everything you do, from merch designs, to creative stuff with your music, to how much you sell your stuff for, the list goes on and on and on. Unfortunately, a lot of young bands these days just want to sign to any label they can get on, just to “say” they’re on a label. What usually ends up happening is they find themselves in a situation where they’re in debt, locked in to a contract that doesn’t work for them, and they’re not in control anymore.

DIY is really ingrained in the spirit of this music, punk rock and hardcore were born out of/in to the DIY movement, and if you lose touch with that fact, you’re going to end up fucked in the end. When you build something with your bare hands, it means that much more to you, and to the people being affected by it. We’re on some real shit here, and it means something.

Kendra: There’s not an East Coast VS. West Coast thing in rock like there is rap, but I can’t help but notice the East Coast does have a lot more bands making a name for their selves. Being a band that hails from the east, do you see any reasons why that may be?

Josh: Well I might sound like an asshole for saying this, but I personally just think it’s the difference between the general attitudes of the people on each coast. West coast has more of a “laid back” attitude, and it shows in their music. Most of the pop punk kinda shit coming out of the west coast has that “fun” vibe to it; that party vibe or what not. The east coast, however, is darker, harder. We don’t have that fun in the sun vibe going on over here, we’re a harder people and a harder scene, and it definitely comes through in our music. The Boston scene, the NY scene, these places put out some dark as fuck music, and it’s because it matches our mentality over here on this side. Hard knocks son.

Kendra: It may be tied into all the bands that came before you guys. On that note, is there one band or artist who caused a major spark of interest in you wanting to play music?

Josh: As far as me personally, I’ve been absorbed in music since I was born. My mom had me super super young, when she was 16, so I grew up listening to a lot of the music that other kids my age wouldn’t come across until way later in life. Nirvana at a super young age, bands like Black Flag and Flipper really turned me on to punk rock. Once I really started identifying with hardcore, that’s when I came across bands like Propagandhi, NOFX, shit like that. I just knew from as far back as I can remember that this is what I wanted to do with my life; play hardcore punk rock with a hardline socially conscious message behind it.

Kendra: There’s a number of bands who start one way and end up another, so when Still Rings True first started out, did you guys have a definite idea of the way you wanted to sound and the kind of music you wanted to make?

Josh: When we started this band, there were two of us that had been playing this kind of music for years and years in other bands and on our own…unfortunately, we had other members at the time who weren’t quite in to the direction we wanted to go in, and it ended up being a lot of pushing and pulling, and quite honestly, a lot of shitty music. Our first release, a self-titled five song EP, is an example of that time period. After that came out, we ended up thinning out the band down to a 3 piece, and really going after the sound we wanted to have from the start. I Wouldn’t Call This Living was the start in that direction, and now with this new record, we’ve nailed the sound that we want to define us as a band. It’s a natural growth, and it happens with all bands. If you’re not pushing yourself to write better music every time you put out a release, you probably shouldn’t be playing music any more.

Kendra: Now on to Tear Down the Walls. Can you dive a little more into the new tunes? Like stand out tracks and how this release differs from your previous?

Josh: Hmm, stand out tracks. There’s two songs specifically that I’m super proud of, and that’s “Empty Words” and “All We Need”…each song is a pretty solid example of the two ends of the spectrum for us musically, the first is a super dark and aggressive thrashy kind of song, and the second is a more melodic, emotionally charged song. That was really the whole point behind the record; we love hardcore, and we love melodic punk rock, so why not just play both? We created our own niche and just went hard as fuck on it. It’s different from previous records in the sense that it’s the first time we can say 100% that we created an album where there’s not a single thing we’d like to have done differently. This record IS SRT, and we’re just gonna take this music to the next level every time we write.

Kendra: When going in to record Tear Down the Walls, or any record for that matter, do you shut yourselves off from the world and not listen to anything current so that you’re not subconsciously motivated to sound one way or another?

Josh: I really do the same things every single time we’re writing for a record…I get all weird and antisocial, then I spend the next two or three months it takes to write a record having massive anxiety attacks and bouts of senseless self-loathing and hatred hahahaha…for real. I tend to get a little wound up when it comes to writing songs. It’s something you’re putting out for the world to hear you know? You kind of have to make that shit count. All in all, when it’s all said and done, we all sit back and have a few laughs and enjoy it. I don’t really listen to much “modern” music period, especially not the current “pop punk” bands and scene; it’s just never really been my thing. I rock bands like Gallows a lot when writing, Black Flag and Have Heart, shit that gets me in the proper emotional and mental state.

Kendra: Obviously though, you guys have your own sound and style, but for those who Still Rings True is new to, how would you break down what you guys bring to the table musically?

Josh: I’d say we’re a melodic hardcore/punk rock band with a political/socially conscious message. I identify with the ideas of anarchism, and I put that message and urgency in to everything we do as a band; rebel music.

Kendra: You’re also hitting the road soon to promote. What can kids coming out to the shows expect from a Still Rings True live experience?

Josh: Us going completely ape shit hahaha. We go hard as fuck every night, whether there’s 10 kids or 200, you can expect us to be giving it everything we have and walking away soaked in sweat. This music literally saves our lives, without it, we’d be fucked, the three of us. We literally practice every single day, just to be able to feel it for a couple hours a night. We’re definitely not our here to fuck around, what we’re saying is real, and what we’re doing is real. We’re just trying to get that across to young people everywhere we go.

Kendra: We already mentioned who may’ve gotten you into music, but are there any artists who’ve inspired your live show?

Josh: I’ve always been attracted to bands that just go nuts live, not like “Paramore” practiced rock out moves, but dudes and bands who actually get so in to their music they lose their shit when they play it. Zach de la Rocha is a good example of that, I used to watch Rage live shows and just get goosebumps from watching this dude lose his mind every night…the intensity, the heart, the urgency. Music can change people’s lives, and it does every single day.

Kendra: Lastly, what’s going on for you guys for the rest of 2011, more touring, writing new material?

Josh: Yup, we’re on tour all summer with a few different bands, we’ll be announcing those tours as they get finished up…you can check all that shit out at our Facebook…We might drop some more music at the end of the summer, not sure at this point, just depends on how much time we have or how busy we are. As of right now, the plan is to play as much as possible, and turn as many people as we can on to our music and the message we’re trying to share.

Kendra:  I lied, one more…Since you say you’re about questioning authority and such, if I asked you to make me a mixtape of the Top 5 songs about rebellion, what would you send me?

Josh: Hmm, that’s a good question: Propagandhi “Todays Empires, Tomorrows Ashes,” NOFX “The Decline,” RATM “Know Your Enemy,” Bob Marley “Redemption Songs,” and John Lennon “Working Class Hero.”

Interviewed By Kendra Rae