by Black Bubblegum

Scion Rock Fest in Atlanta is just a few days away (Feb 28th) and until the opening tones of Kylesa's guitars, we'll present a series of discussions with some of the key artists taking one of the four stages at the Masquerade. Monday we spoke to Scott Hull of Pig Destroyer and Agoraphobic Nosebleed and yesterday it was CT of Rwake. Today, we speak to none other than Jacob Bannon of Converge.

Jacob Bannon has a tattoo of a heart that covers his throat. Heart in your throat... I'd say that it's appropriate. As vocalist and lyricist for Converge, Bannon is one of a handful of the hardcore elite that crafts poignant, thought provoking lyrics that can comfortably sit side by side with the challenging hardcore mindbenders that the rest of his band spews forth. Converge has delivered blistering hardcore for more than seventeen years, and along the way Bannon has been involved in multiple side projects (Irons, Supermachiner, etc) and solo efforts, all while also steering the hardcore superlabel Deathwish Records.

Converge is set to close out Scion Rock Fest at The Masquerade in Atlanta, just a few short weeks before the band goes on a short tour that will include Europa on March 27th (tix here, full tour sched below). We sat down to talk to Bannon about the new Converge LP, Deathwish, his collaboration with Dwid of Integrity, and his forthcoming solo record.

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You and the guys are working on the new Converge... Does it have a title? Any song titles yet? A theme?

The record does have a title as well as song titles, however we are not ready to release them just yet.

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Continue reading "an interview w/ Jacob Bannon of Converge"

by Black Bubblegum

Converge in Moscow (photo by Alexander Welsh)

Good news / bad news / good news. Let's start with the bad news.

All signs point to Genghis Tron off of the previously announced Deathwish super bill of Converge, Pulling Teeth, Rise & Fall, and Ceremony (now ex-Deathwish) at Europa in Brooklyn on March 27.

UPDATE: Genghis Tron said they will know for sure soon whether they will be playing this show or not. Stay tuned...

UPDATE 2: Genghis Tron are in fact also playing this show.

Tickets are still available.

Now some good news... Coliseum has been added to the Europa bill!

Even more good news: It's part of a seven date mini-tour leading up to the recording of their new long-player in May. Look for the follow-up LP to No Heroes to land on Deathwish/Epitaph later this year. Converge is also playing the embarassingly awesome Scion Rock Fest in Atlanta, GA.

In related news, the Supermachiner side project is back in print. Here's a little history on Supermachiner:

Supermachiner originally began as a collection of four track recordings by J. Bannon (Converge) in 1994. The music was much different than his known vocal work in Converge, having more in common with influences Swans, Bauhaus, and others... Along with the help of good friend Ryan Parker (Daltonic, Black Spot, The Jaded Salingers), the project was brought back to life in the winter of 1998...

The two entered the studio with Kurt Ballou (Converge) in the winter of 1999. During these sessions, Ballou also contributed a great deal to the material. The finished album titled "Rise Of The Great Machine" was released by the defunct Undecided label in 2000 (now out of print). After the album release, future projects were planned but never materialized...

"Rust" features the sought after "Rise of the Great Machine" tracks, as well as four track ghosts of forgotten songs, and other unique audio experiments. All of it showcasing the artistic spirit that made Supermachiner such a unique animal for the time. All the while foreshadowing the future marriage between the "post hardcore" and "shoe-gaze" genres that dominate today's avant garde/experimental music world.

Continue reading "Converge - 2009 Tour Dates (Brooklyn w/ Coliseum)"