How did the current version of Cruci-Fetus come to be? What bands were people in before joining Cruci-Fetus?
J:Sweeney and I had been jammin’ out for about four or five years, in between that time we had both been a part of several different unsuccessful bands. They weren’t unsuccessful because of us, it was because of us, it was because people were usually too lazy or drugged out get anything accomplished or because they sucked and couldn’t keep up. Our longest lasting band was called Corporate Whore (I later realized there’s already some grindcore band with that name somewhere). It was Sweeney, Shane Underwood, Jay Gonzales, and myself. We had some shit going until Jay had had to flee from the pigs and left for Michigan. Sweeney and I later reformed the band with Andre (currently in Dying Moment) and Brian Gosset. We played a huge-ass bonfire party and totally destroyed the place. We had a show booked with Submachine but Sweeny and I stopped getting along with Andre and the band broke up. During that time Sweeney and I had been recording guitar parts for every song we had made and recorded 5 of them a year later with Brock Ailes (currently in DeadWillRise) in October of 2003. That was our first demo. We had gone through several drummers but The Wood is probably gonna be our permanent drummer cause we get along and like the same music. Sweeney quit the band during our most disastrous show when I got so shit faced drunk I didn’t even start playing with the rest of the band, I just tried to attack the audience and tear the place apart. Numan:First it was just Joe and Sweenz they recorded the demo with Brock on drums. I listened to it and thought it kicked ass and one day I met them at Brobeck’s house and started hangin out with them. Eventually I was bass, Sweenz and Joe guitar. Then we got Marc in the band we played a show but eventually had to quit. Darfus played drums for a little bit, then we got Marc back. He had to leave again then we got David. After the desert rose show Sweeny quit and now its me Joe and David.
What influences does each member of Cruci-Fetus bring to the band? What bands influence the band wholly?
J:We all listen to a lot of crust and thrash type-of punk. We all are way into Havoc Records bands and Aus-Rotten, Victims, Crass, Conflict, Exploited, Skitsystem. I like all kinds of music. My favorite band is The Ramones. I also really like MC5 and Dead Kennedys. I also try to throw in a little Flipper, Melvins, ya know, like kinda sludge-type shit. Me and Numan are really into the whole thrash-metal and death-metal thing like Assuck, Napalm Death, Anal Cunt, and of course Slayer. But we all like all have our own tastes. We also all like Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Germs, Bad Brains, JFA, alot of 80s punk. I’d say my strongest influences that I’ve noticed in our songs are D.R.I and Caustic Christ but we try to stay original. Numan:I just like to play fast, and the bands that influence us are probably Aus Rotten, Crass, Flipper, Black Flag, DRI, pretty much any old school hard core band and anarcho punk
What was your most memorable (or hardest to remember) concert experience, either playing or attending?
J:You’d think I was gonna say the show at the Rose when Sweeney quit but the party that Corporate Whore was 100 times more insane. Our best show was when we played Bernies with DeadWillRise, Hitlers Wet Dream, Refills, and Brian McCoy. The show at the skate park sucked too. Our best show was at Bernies with The Ants, The Stines, The Jeffs, and The Specifics. The best show I ever attended was D.O.A. Numan:The most memorable would probably be probably the Desert Rose show because we just fucked shit up and didn’t play worth shit.
Would you rather be well-known in the scene, pulling in 100 individuals per show or able to play longer, national tours maybe pulling in 20 people per night?
J:I’d rather be well known locally but that’s not realistic to draw that many around here. I know we have some die-hard fans but most of the kids who like us don’t even go to most of the shows around here. Numan: I think we already are kinda well known in the scene because we have been around for a year now. I don’t think it is possible to draw 100 kids to see your band in Lancaster, but if it could happen I wouldn’t mind. I really wanna tour too even if there is only 1 kid who shows up cause it would be a pretty rad experience.
What bands do you get along with best in town? Does Cruci-Fetus have any problems with local bands, and if so, why? Are there any problems with the scene that you feel need to be fixed before Lancaster can actually reach that next level?
J:The Stines were our partners in crime, we’re really tight with The Refills and Bloody Irish Boys. DeadWillRise and Drunken Massacre are cool, too. I haven’t seen or heard The Approach yet but I heard they’re really into our stuff and the dude that started the band’s really cool to so I’m looking forward to them. We have a problem with the people who set up the Sept. 11th show. The dude in one of the bands who set it up called and invited us to play, called back to make sure we were played and everything about five times. Apparently before I got there kids were throwing shit at the bands and yelling about how they wanted to see Cruci-Fetus cause apparently the bands there sucked. When I got there the dude that set it up got pissed about something in the middle of his band’s set. He started ranting about how “if all you assholes wanna see Cruci-Fetus or Specicifs you better be more respectful, blah, blah, blah, blah!” Then he proceeded to bitch about politics and how no one there was political enough. So he left with the pa and all the mics. So by the time we finally got to play it it was really late at night, outside with no lights, and we were all way to drunk. It was horrible. I think people need to quit being competitive and snobby and just have fun. Numan:The bands we get along with best are probably The Refills, Dying Moment, and Deadwill rise. I don’t have any problems with any local bands. I don’t think Lancaster can be reached to the next level.
Cruci-Fetus has always been outspoken politically, evidenced by some of the song titles (George Dubya Cunt, Fuck Laws). In between songs, there are sometimes mini-rants about a certain subject. Are there any plans to collect these rants or some of the hard-to-hear song lyrics into a zine so people can actually be moved by them in a different way?
J: I’d like to start my own zine. I’m planning on doing it within the next year. If we have enough money to make a full-length album with a lyric sheet we will. I don’t want to force my political views on anyone. I just hope a lot of the kids around here realize that it’s important to be educated about our surroundings. Too many punk rock kids get way to into drugs and waste away their lives when they could really do something. We just try to get people pissed off and get them to think about things. Numan:Not that I know of (referring to the lyric-sheet).
What is the goal of Lubricated Christ records? What has LC released, what is LC intending to release, and what bands are on LC?
J:LC isn’t a real company yet. We’ve put the logo on a couple of our really shitty 4-track recordings but it’ll get going once we have some money saved up. Numan: LC records’ goal is to just help out our friends’ bands and release shitty punk/ hardcore/ metal or whatever. The only release is the Cruci-Fetus/ Hitler’s Wet Dream split but it sucks real ass, its intending to release probably a Cruci-Fetus full-length, some comps, and a Goblin Boppers full length. The bands on LC are Cruci-Fetus, Goblin Boppers, Grab-TC, GOWM, Whitehouse Crooks, and more to come.
What are the plans for the band in the next few months? Are there going to be any albums, compilations, or the like you are going to be on? Any tours or shows you will be playing?
J:We just wanna keep going strong, record and play as much as possible. We try to take advantage of every opportunity as much as possible. Numan:In January we’re gunna try to get a bunch of shows; maybe in February record some shit. That’s probably about it.
What are the side-projects of Cruci-Fetus? How do they differ from the original C-F, what other members do they contain, and why were they formed?
J:Sweeny and I have a band called Encopresis with Justin Kern and Nathan Kern. It’s a thrash-punk/hardcore band except with a much larger range of various styles of music. Think Faith No More, Queen, Black Sabbath, Dead Kennedys, JFA, and Tool all in one. I know Numan has GOWM and all three of us have Goblin Boppers and Grab The Children, Jackson as our stupid-ass joke bands. I also may be starting a band with Jared Allen and Sean from Hitlers Wet Dream, but we’ll see how that goes. Numan: Side projects are Goblin Boppers, Grab-TC, Whitehouse Crooks, G.O.W.M., Encopresis, Death of a Murderer, and the PoFoks and I think that’s it. All I can say is we get bored and do some weird music with our friends.
In an ideal world, what would society be like? How would laws work, how would people interact with each other, and can this society be achieved?
J:There is never gonna be an ideal world. There’s always gonna be fucked up people both in power and in our everyday lives. I think our society is too consumed into the materialistic culture of modern capitalism. Remember the presidency has been bought out a long time ago. Republicans and Democrats both work for the same people. I think we need to realize our biggest threats aren’t terrorism or drugs or diversity or rock music or communism or whatever people want to use as a scapegoat. The real problem is that people have given up and just don’t give a shit anymore. There is no perfect world where people will get along and there is no perfect set of laws but we’re at an all time high in our national deficit, we’re spending all our money on a war that started on false premises, meanwhile the jail are over crowded, we’re breaking all diplomatic ties and the youth of America are too stoned out of their brains to care. The only way we can change society to change ourselves. Numan: The world would be ruled by a giant purple monster, 8c. Laws would be simple, there wouldn’t be any except for mustard is illegal. People would interact with each other by doing the Rutter secret handshake, this will be achieved when Austin Howard looks into a full moon on august 19th. I will cover him with mustard and then a chemical reaction will occur changeing him into a giant purple monster resembling the Grimace. Then I will shave 8c into his ass. That will become his name, and then he will gobble as many people it needs to so he can take over the world.
Finally, how can people get in contact with you?
J: Go to http://cruci-fetus.cjb.net and sign our guestbook or e-mail us and we will get back to you. Thanks a lot! Numan: My AIM screen name is theunseensex and my email is: [email protected] also we have a myspace thing at http://www.myspace.com/cruci-fetus , and our website is cruci-fetus.cjb.net