When Botch reemerged with a new single two years ago, they signaled the start of a reunion tour that was two decades in the waiting. Now that it's all over—again—Brian Cook is ready to reflect.
Thanks for the interview, great to get to know a little bit more about the band and Brian after all these years. In like 94 or so I remember driving down from Vancouver Island to go see them play in a basement in Seattle with Integrity also playing. Such great memories of PNW hardcore at the time. I loved the Botch / Undertow / Excursion sound and style, particularly after what he's saying about the Goleta Ebullution sound, which I loved but kind of grew tired of. Anyway, thanks for sharing.
Really enjoyed this interview. This bit really resonated with me:
"...it just didn’t feel like anyone was really doing anything new. And it’s really disappointing because this music can get real tired, real fast if you don’t pepper it with other things."
Botch was never my thing, but I certainly appreciated that they were pushing the envelope and doing something pretty unique. That quote also represents how interesting so much of current hardcore and punk is, and how open kids are to various sounds these days. Seeing Ceremony seamlessly go from fast hardcore blasts to dancey synth-punk and the crowd being just excited for all of it is really inspiring. Seeing shows with bands as diverse and genre-pushing/bending/mixing as Angel Dust, Candy, MSPAINT, Gumm, and Miltarie Gun, and kids going off for all of them equally is so exciting.
It makes me think of all the bands that felt new and exciting, either musically or lyrically, when I was coming of age that now really feel like milestones in this music (Earth Crisis, TITR, Refused, Botch, Deadguy, Lifetime, 108... the list goes on).
I'm a fan of Brian... always an incredibly soft-spoken, friendly, and hyper creative personality. Watching Botch change from the early caterpillar of wild angst into the formidable and genre-pushing moth that then soared—and literally changed the NW scene—has been my absolute pleasure. Stoked to have been in smaller bands opening for his over the years. His energy and vision in all his groups is staggering.
Thanks for the interview, great to get to know a little bit more about the band and Brian after all these years. In like 94 or so I remember driving down from Vancouver Island to go see them play in a basement in Seattle with Integrity also playing. Such great memories of PNW hardcore at the time. I loved the Botch / Undertow / Excursion sound and style, particularly after what he's saying about the Goleta Ebullution sound, which I loved but kind of grew tired of. Anyway, thanks for sharing.
Really enjoyed this interview. This bit really resonated with me:
"...it just didn’t feel like anyone was really doing anything new. And it’s really disappointing because this music can get real tired, real fast if you don’t pepper it with other things."
Botch was never my thing, but I certainly appreciated that they were pushing the envelope and doing something pretty unique. That quote also represents how interesting so much of current hardcore and punk is, and how open kids are to various sounds these days. Seeing Ceremony seamlessly go from fast hardcore blasts to dancey synth-punk and the crowd being just excited for all of it is really inspiring. Seeing shows with bands as diverse and genre-pushing/bending/mixing as Angel Dust, Candy, MSPAINT, Gumm, and Miltarie Gun, and kids going off for all of them equally is so exciting.
It makes me think of all the bands that felt new and exciting, either musically or lyrically, when I was coming of age that now really feel like milestones in this music (Earth Crisis, TITR, Refused, Botch, Deadguy, Lifetime, 108... the list goes on).
I'm a fan of Brian... always an incredibly soft-spoken, friendly, and hyper creative personality. Watching Botch change from the early caterpillar of wild angst into the formidable and genre-pushing moth that then soared—and literally changed the NW scene—has been my absolute pleasure. Stoked to have been in smaller bands opening for his over the years. His energy and vision in all his groups is staggering.