Postmortem Zine

name: Matt Nersinger

Band: declarations

Important Links:
Declarations
Demo






Who is the biggest influence in your musical career?

Well that's kind of a hard question to answer. I got into punk a long time ago and there were so many steps that led me to what I listen to today. Jason Navarro of the Suicide Machines was a big influence at a young age. That band was all about skateboarding and politics and really got me interested in punk. I fell in love with the Clash and was all about listening to bands from that time. I soon discovered Minor Threat after that found out what hardcore was. That completely changed my perspective on music and after discovering straight edge, led me to Youth Of Today and everything I am into today. As far as the rest of the band is concerned, were all into different bands. But newer bands like Verse, Have Heart and even The Effort have been really important influences when we started this band.

What is your favorite part of playing shows?

Were still a pretty young band, but it has been really nice being on the other side this time. There's already something different and special about hardcore shows than any other show your going to be at. It has been great getting to speak my mind and hopefully leaving an impact on the local scene. We've already gotten to play with some great up and coming bands and the local scene is starting to grow again. We played a show with a couple of Florida bands recently, so if you get a chance check out Truth Inside and For The cause. Real great dudes and Truth Inside is playing A Time We'll Remember Fest in November. Also check out our friends in Monument A.D. and Death Camp. We've also had a lot of help a long the way from some goods dudes in other local bands so check out their bands too. Devan Bentley from Such Gold filled in on drums for one of our shows and some of the members from Auburn NY's Strong Willed did gang vocal on the demo.

do you any plans for the up coming year?

We started practicing as a band in January/February and have gone non stop since writing a demo, recording for the first time, playing shows with great bands and meeting a lot of great people. After some member changes (additions and switching around instruments) were taking some time off to get our set tight and write new songs. In the fall were going to record an EP, probably independently, but if any labels want to help us out we wouldn't be opposed to it.

what inspired you to write the song who am i to judge ?

I know I am not a hardcore veteran by any means. I didn't go to the shows in 80's or 90's, but I still saw a change in the music and scene I loved. I'm sure kids and old hardcore heads from any city or town can relate, but I saw venues getting shutdown, people stop going to shows, and floods of new kids come in that didn't seem to understand the message of what all this means. There are a lot of great bands from upstate New York, but I feel like some of the people I looked up to in the scene were forgetting about everything I loved. I wrote it as a wake up call to the people who may not realize that as a scene we are letting shit fly that shouldn't. Hardcore is about being a pissed off kid and doing something about it in a positive way. The real question is who am I judge, or any of us? I always felt like I shouldn't be putting people down in any way, but I realized that when someone claims to be something or back something and they live the opposite way they have to be called out. Like Trial said, we need to make this a movement again, instead of only a scene.