Shutdown on 09-22-2000 by Shane - ZeRo - Stiles

1. What does hardcore mean to you?
It's my life. It's been my life for about five or six years now. I play shows, I go to shows, I hang out. I try to keep it alive.

2. Why do you strongly believe that hardcore should stay in the streets?
I think it should because big business kills the scene. Hardcore bands can never push the numbers. For us to be marketable to an MTV crowd, that's the bigtime. It should stay street and be true because when it's tight, it's more true.

3. Since Against All Odds, you've kept your style, making very few changes. Do you think it's good to stay within what you know you're capable of or do you think it's good to explore? Explain.
I think it depends on the band and the individuals. For us, I think we did explore a little bit When it's shutdown, you know it's us. We're not trying to be the weirdest band in the world but we're not trying to be like every other band.

4. How would you describe the music of Shutdown for someone that's never heard it before?
It's something for everyone. Really positive intergetic music. It has metal influences, punk influences, and nyhc influences. Everyone can get into it.

5. What does Shutdown stand for (beliefs)? What does it mean to you?
We're not a preachy band. We want everyone to be an individual. We don't push anything on anyone. if you do believe in something stick to it. Don't give up. We're out to have fun.

6. Do you see any difference between NYHC and BOSTONHC?
Very similar but a little different. Both have their own sounds. Boston incorporates a little more youthcore influence. NYHC incorporates heavy metal fast riffs into the music. Both are hardass scenes. They grew up hard.

7. Shutdown started young, with some members at the age of 14. Do you think this had any effect on the band?
Yeah. We've grown from a band who didn't know anything into a band that could call themselves a professional band. We've gone another level. we didn't know anything about record, sound, nothing. We grew and learned. We started off as just kids jumping around, now we have a goal and a focus. It's still the same sound and scene, just a little different. When we started out, we just played to play. Now we have goals and dreams to accomplish.

8. Victory says in your press packet that, "Mark's distinctive vocals, fused with Steve's menacing guitar riffs sets Shutdown apart from all other hardcore bands." What do you think about that? Does it accurately describe you?
They didn't mention me so I'm a little disappointed. To me it's cool. We combined our seperate influences and we come together as one. shutdown is a unit. we all bring our stuff to the table and make it one. It took years to accomplish and years to develope. We don't want to be some generic hardcore band that sounds like everyone else.

9. Why were the other vocalists brought in for this cd?
Mark's brothers showed him hardcore. We wanted to show them that Shutdown is a band. We wanted to help the younger bands come up and help them out. We wanted to show someone we respect and look up to on it (Freddie). Give a little taste is of what is good.

10. While listening to your cd, I noticed that you don't compare to any other bands. The sound is one of it's own. What do you have, in your mind, that sets you apart from other bands?
We come off as a straight up new york hardcore band. We don't want to sound exactly like sick of it all. We want be influenced by these bands, and make it Shutdown. We come together and use our influences and now it's Shutdown. It's it's owns style and own flavor and now it's cool. Play our music and you know it's us.

11. What is the future of Shutdown?
We'd like to be one of the top nyhc bands. We want to grow bigger and get more fans into hardcore.

12. Where are you currently touring and where wil you be in the next 6 months? No specific dates, just general area. (For the fans).
We start a us tour with one king down, full us tour. Then to europe with Agnostic Front. We've done it by ourselves so long that we need to start opening up with other bands. We will do Japan soon hopefully.

13. Is there a change in what you've done with this cd and what you did with cds in the past?
We got 100% better in production. Recording is better than anything we've ever done. Spent more time writing this record, we didn't rush it. We practiced 5 days a week. We were ready, we prepared. The last record, we kind of rushed.

14. What is the future of hardcore music from the standpoint of Shutdown?
Hopefully it gets bigger and we start getting new kids and get bigger and huge. I hope bands get big. We need a lot of big bands.

15. What do you think about hardcore bands that go "major label"?
It isn't a sellout. Any band that tries to expand by signing to a major label. Hardcore bands won't last on major labels. When you are on independent labels, you have a chance, you can work. The market is small for hardcore.

16. What message would you like the fans to get from your music?
I hope they like it. The message they should get is acceptance. You won't be alienated at a Shutdown concert. Our major message is never give up.