Stretch Arm Strong on 08-05-2000 by propheci

Here's an email interview I did with guitarist Scott of Stretch Arm Strong. I had planned on seeing them this summer, but they canceled their tour due to family reasons. Anyways, bold is me, unbold is Scott.

who are you and what do you do for stretch arm strong?
my name is scott and i play guitar

how long have you been a part of stretch?
i have been in this band since the very start. i think we started in like 92 or something but we were way different back then

were you a part of any other bands before stretch?
yeah me and the guy who is singing now and the guy who sang before him were in a band called strait up

how did you guys meet?
well me and chris have been friends for a long time and well as david and i. we met john from another band and jeremy as well

where does the name stretch arm strong come from?
well the name comes from the toy. like i said we were way different when we decided to use that name but it stuck and we went through a period where we hated it but now we like it.... it is different from other names

what are some of your favorite bands, albums, influences?
well we all like different things. stuff i am listening to right now. one king down, kill swith engage, new found glory, saves the day, element 101, poison the well... i like so many different styles and differnt bands. oh yeah hopesfall rock too.

what was your most memorable concert?
wow that is a loaded question. i saw smashing pumpkins on their last tour and that was cool. on a hardcore level i would have to say matt levetons "we'll make the difference 2" benefit

is the band straightedge, vegan, christian, etc.?
no the band is neither of those things as a whole but each of us partake in some of the above listed. we have christians, vegans, vegetarians, meat eater, straight edgers, non straight edgers..... we hate being labeled. a lot of people mistake us for a christian band cause we are on solidstate but we aren't and never were and never pretended we were. it seems some people are disappointed when the find out we aren't. it goes the other way as well. people don't like us sometimes cause they think we are. who cares. we love playing music. we are 5 friends who put everything on the line for this band and what we believe. does it reall matter what we believe in. sorry to go off with this question but it really just irritates me when people diss bands because of what they are are what they aren't. i though hardcore was a place where we could all be accepted. at least that is what i thought it was....

define the lifestyle of hardcore.
i don't know if i really know anymore. i seem to be kinda out of touch. i just want everyone to get along. if a band gets big. great. don't talk trash about them. be happy for them. it is always easy for people to talk but most of those people aren't getting out and doing anything.

what's your view on straightedge, vegan, and christian hardcore?
revert to earlier question

what's your view on the hardcore community? any changes you'd like to see?
acceptance for everyone. we are all in this together.

what guitar and other equipments do you use?
well i play an esp eclipse and a gibson les paul studio. i use mesa boogie heads and cabinets.... the best in my book.

what do you think about the popularity of certain bands such as p.o.d., etc.?
i think it is great. i am all for it. i may not like the style that much but those guys have busted there asses for such a long time and now they and making it and not in the whole like i'm sure they have always been. good for them. you can't really make a living of hardcore. all of us have real jobs. 2 of us are school teachers, i am a video editor.... i would love to be getting paid enough to quit my real job and play my guitar for a living.

any plans for the future for stretch? perhaps a new album?
well we take it one day at a time. sometimes it gets hard. our singer and his wife is about to have a baby girl, so we may slow down but we have a lot of new songs. it is reallt some of the best stuff we have written. i think it blows everything we have written in the past away. it is a bit different but still stretch arm strong.

who'd win in a fist fight: al gore or george bush jr.? and why?
who cares. i wouldn't vote for either of them. i wish somneone would come along i would be proud of to vote for.