Jerry Flores was a member of legendary EXCRUCIATING TERROR and participated on some DESPISE YOU record sessions. In 2001 founded an awesome raw grind/crust band called BLOODY PHOENIX.
Hello Jerry, How and when did BLOODY PHOENIX form? Did you start the band right after the end of EXCRUCIATING TERROR? Who is in the band right now ? You have quite a new line up (for us), I remember you from the last EU tour with duo of brothers (mic+bass), why did they leave the band?
Hello Ondra, …… Bloody Phoenix Formed in October of 2001. I think there was maybe a 6 month span between the time ET went 100 % inactive and the start of BP. I was planning on taking a long break from playing in a band. Maybe a year or two. Well that didn’t last as long as I had planned. Mike(drummer) was a kid from my neighborhood. He lived up the street from me, was a neighbor of Martin (ET). Anyhow, he showed up to my house one day unexpectedly, he had never been over before. He knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to „jam“. I looked at him and asked him if he could play, he said yes, and I said OK show up Saturday at this time. Then I shut the door on him, I think I was in the middle of watching a football game on TV. I don’t like to be disturbed when my team is playing ha. The rest is history. Well the band line up is not too different from our EU tours. It’s myself, Mike, and one of the brothers, Aaron. We have a different bass player(Amelia) and a 2nd singer(Molly) now. After our first EU tour we parted ways with them because they lived too far and had trouble getting to LA on a consistent basis. Was very frustrating having them far away and trying to be a functioning active band so we parted ways. They were planning on moving to LA so we welcomed them back before our 2nd euro tour. After we got back from our 2nd EU tour we parted ways with them again as Michael was moving to Japan and Aaron was going to move to the Philippines. Before our last US tour Aaron ended up living with some family not too far from me and he was itching to sing again. So we brought him in as a guest singer for some shows, that lead to him doing some songs on a recording then singing for us on tour. After the tour he left the band as he was moving to Las Vegas for work. OK so about a month and a half ago we were txting each other, he asked what was going on with the band etc. he asked if we were doing europe again, I told him we had to postpone our plans for the EU tour this year because our singer wouldn’t be able to do a proper tour due to her job. So he said he’d do it, and there we have it. We can’t get rid of the twins entirely ha.
How hard is to find a new members into grind core band in LA? Female singer in grind core is still quite rare, where did you find Molly? Does she has some previous experience with playing in a band?
It’s very hard to find members in LA period. Quality ones at least. LA suffers from being a huge city that has lots of things to do, so people would rather do other things than commit to being in a band 100 %. Lots of flakes here. As for Molly, a mutual friend of ours, Mell who used to be in Iskra, made the connection for us. We talked, we realized we disliked a lot of the same people. So it was a positive alliance. Needless to say we are good friends now. Yes she has some experience with some local bands. She will only be doing the first third of our Fall tour.
BLOOD QUEST content also Saira from QUESTION with whom you share a split EP (btw. fuckin´awesome record) and she is ex-DETESTATION singer. Tell us more about this idea. How are responses on a set with her, she do the same style vocal as in her previous bands, not a classic grinding vocals but sounds perfect.
Thanks, glad you like it. OK Blood Quest. During our last US tour, about an hour after we left Sairas place in New York she sent me a txt putting it out there that if we ever needed a singer/guest singer or just do a project, that she’d be down to do it. I of coarse told her I’d keep that in mind and if the chance ever came up to do something I wouldn’t hesitate to ask. I’ve always enjoyed her bands and voice and had gotten to know her better after about 13 years or so of no contact.. Anyhow,.. the chance came up when Aaron had told me he would be moving away and not touring with us anymore. We had plans for the following year we didn’t want to cancel them so I thought this would be a good time to do something with her while we looked for a new singer, which is never easy. So anyway, she came out to LA for a couple of weeks and we played a couple of shows and recorded. We were planning a tour later that year with her as well but it didn’t work out. We’re keeping that open for the future though. We jokingly but seriously refer to ourselves as Blood Quest when she’s with us. A merger of our bands names. I must admit, It was a bit odd for me at first to hear our songs done with her style of vocals. As you said, her style of vocals are different than our usual, sounds like a different band with her singing. I think it took me a couple of days to rewire my brain as I was used to hearing our songs done our way. I was under the impression that she was going to do it our style, then at our first rehearsal she does her style and I’m like whoa, weird. While she was singing I could still hear the original vocals in my head ha. We got used to her very quickly though, when she went back home she left us feeling a little empty. Funny how things work out. All the live responses were very positive.
How did you actually get into grind core scene? Do you remember the very first steps (first gigs, a records etc.) Who influenced you most (a band or person)? What attracted you to grindcore in the first place?
Well I’m older, so I was around before there was grindcore. For me it was a natural progression. I was a crossover kid. Listened to metal and punk growing up. In my early teens I always wanted something faster. Faster, heavier, faster. It lead me to pre-grind bands, and I went through the evolution of it. I think my biggest influences band wise were Minor Threat and Cryptic Slaughter. I’d also have to throw in F.C.D.N. Tormentor.
I noticed that you don´t like or don´t want to mention your –ex bands what should be something like support for the present band. Is boring for you to still remember old stories and talk about your old bands EXCRUCIATING TERROR, STAPLED SHUT and participation in DESPISE YOU or not?
Yes, this is true. I want BP to stand on it’s own and not be known for having a member of this or that band and just be BP. The past is the past is how I see it. I’m always looking forward, to look back only slows me down and takes the focus off what’s important in the present. Maybe when I’m 100 years old I’ll be happy to talk about all my old bands because by then my life will be slowing down, I probably won’t be active and I’ll have lots of time to just sit down and reminisce. I hope to die well before it comes to that. And yes it does bore me to a point. Those bands were a life time ago. I have new memories now.
Just a few questions about these legendary bands, old times …Do you still keep in touch with the former members of ExTx, DY and STAPLED SHUT?
Yes I do keep in touch somewhat with some of them. In E.T., I get txts from victor on a weekly basis. I’ll see or talk to Martin (ET/SS) maybe 1-2 x a year. I see Phil & Rob (DY) every once in a while at a gig. Let me just clear something up, I was an original member of Stapled Shut, but left the band within 6 months of it and really have nothing to do with what they did or ended up sounding like. I don’t really consider them an x-band.
How did you get to DESPISE YOU line up? I guess that DY has been intended initially as a project, correct? DY kept a mystery around them, no interviews, no live gigs, gangs and violence on their art of records etc. Was this Chris idea? Did Chris call you and offered to be a part of their „reunion“?
Chris called me one day at work and asked if I’d be interested in doing a project. ET was on one of it’s many in-active periods, I was bored so I thought why not. I think Chris had actually asked Raul, one of the original members of ET to do it first. He didn’t for whatever reason and I think he recommended me. I could be wrong in that but I think that’s how it went. And yes it was only a recording project, not a real band. There were no plans to ever play live. At one point we all wanted to do some shows, Chris though at the time, at least what he told us, had stage fright . So nothing came of it and we eventually stop recording for whatever reason. Maybe we were all busy I don’t remember. Yes that was all Chris’s idea. No, Phil was the one to initially ask me to be a part of the reunion. I declined.
It had to be a wild shows in wild times during ´90 s in LA. How was it compared to nowadays? I heard that with ExTx you had wish to play with lights off. Ugly music in the dark?! Was some fights often during a grind core gigs?
It sure was wild and that’s putting it lightly. There’s no comparison in how things were back then and now. Society has changed and such, the scenes. Today things are a lot more civil, pro-active, whereas in the late 80’s early 90’s it was VIOLENT as fuck! Yes fights often. There was no grindcore gigs, as there was no real grindcore scene at the time. Grindcore bands played death metal shows for the most part. LA was just violent. Things are much better now in that respect. There were more people back then, 2 shows almost every weekend. Yes we used to request either low lights or no lights. We weren’t there to give people a show and bang our heads. We were there to play violent music. Funny thing happens when you remove light from a gig. The music becomes clearer, the crowd lets loose, the energy magnifies, they leave themselves, express themselves freely. I would do the same with BP but not all members are comfortable playing in the dark, so we try with only red lights on. Arrgh.
Thanks to Barvak/INSANE SOCIETY is the 1st album of EXCRUCIATING TERROR available for a fair price, do you plan to repress of your old records as well?
Yes eventually. For the time being I’d rather put that money into BP.
Where do you all draw your musical inspiration from? What were the key bands which influenced BLOODY PHOENIX´s sound? Compare to ET is BLOODY PHOENIX much more d-beat style grind core in the most brutal way I ever heard! I read that intial goal hasn´t been to start pure grind core band. Right?
The daily frustrations of everyday life are my inspiration. Musically, it comes from all over the place. I’m a music junkie, I’m always listening to music, different types. I get something from every style. Key bands who influenced us, hmmm, I’d say Discharge, Extreme Noise Terror,.. shit everything we listen to. I agree with your assessment. Maybe you can call us D-blast or real Death Punk. And you read correct, our goal was not to be a pure grindcore band. It was more of a let’s see what comes out approach. Problem is I write how I write. I don’t really plan on writing a certain way, it’s just what comes out.
Could you go through BLOODY PHOENIX discography and make comment about each tittle? What are your plans regarding records to the future, could you reveal some details for a new releases?
Sure ok.
Self Titled 7″ – it was actually suppose to be an LP but I wasn’t happy with the complete recording as only a few songs came out OK. I haven’t listened to it in years. Aside from myself everyone on that recording was very young and was their first time recording. OK for what it was at the time.
Split with System Shit – I can’t listen to it. If it wasn’t for System Shit I’d avoid this record. Not our best line up, our worst recording.
War, Hate, & Misery. LP – An OK record, I can’t listen to it these days. Just so you know I am rarely happy with any of our recordings, I don’t listen to my own music really, all I hear are all the mistakes and or things that could and should have been done differently/better.. Anyhow, certain aspects of this recording annoy the fuck out of me.
Split 10″ with BHOC – I think this is when we were finally really starting to find the true BP. Not the greatest of recordings but not bad.
Death To Everyone LP – Though not perfect it is easily our best recording and one I am actually happy about and can live with. This is who we are.
Split with Question – Quick & Heavy.
OK new releases, some time this year the recording we did with Saira will finally see the light of day. The recording was done last year but we’ve had set back after set back with it’s release. It’s for a 4way split LP with SEITAN from Sweden, Mass Grave & Famine from Canada. Psychocontrol records will release it. In a few months we will record our third LP hopefully out in time for our Euro Tour.
Do you like living in Los Angeles? Does it still retain its character? Is it like „War, hate and misery“?
My city is not perfect but it’s home. I really wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. A week or two here or there, but this is home. I love it. Have everything I need here. Wait, I have misspoken, there is one place I’d rather live, that’s on the road 🙂 Most people who don’t know LA have a misconception about it. They think it’s fake etc. LA is HUGE, there are parts that are fake, but those parts are small, LA is real as fuck. This city will eat you alive if you are not careful. To some it is WH&M.
Nazi cops, fucking cops, lowest lifeform, I´ve ever seen!“ (song „Pig Funerals“). Do you have or did you have ever troubles with cops in LA? I read that ex-members of ExTx had. Did they often come and stop a gigs for instance?
Oh of coarse, our police are corrupt as fuck. They more often than not harass the people they are sworn to protect and serve. Oh yeah they are always stopping gigs. It’s hard for us to keep DIY venues going here cause of it. Not just ET members, everyone. Mike our drummer in BP always seems to have run ins with the law. He’s a police magnet haha.
Los Angeles specifically but also the State of California seems to be the hotbed of the powerviolence scene, what´s your opinion on local scene and so called new vawe of pv/grind bands?
I’m not too familiar with that scene nowadays so I can’t really comment. The new wave of bands that I know are now the last wave ha. But I do know PV is still pretty big here.
What do you think about The American dream what is a national ethos of the United States? Should be USA consider as a freedom country with so many rules, regulations, restrictions etc.?
It is what it says it is, a dream. No the US is not a free country. Nothing is free. True freedom does not exist. Not here. It’s Fee-dom, not freedom here.
In Czech a last few years massmedia totally influenced a most of nation and in Czech we have right wing party in government and ordinary people, with handicap, seniors pay more and more. What´s your opinion on a massmedia? Do you regularly read a newspaper or check websites with news? What about freedom of speech in USA?
Seems like Czech is like the US in that regard. We have the same problem. The media here is a joke. They are all bias towards those who supply them money or own them. I haven’t read a newspaper in years, I do check websites for news. Untainted news. We have freedom of speech here (up to a point), what we don’t have is freedom of information, of intelligence.
Lots of songs are about drug addiction. Do you have some experiences with drugs? What´s your opinion on drugs? Sorry if it´s too personal issue, you can not answer this one…
No this is OK to ask. Drug abuse is all around us, it affects us. It would be hard not to touch the subject. As for me, I’m an alcoholic, I like shrooms and once in a while I might take a hit or two of some pot. Anything else I’m not interested in. Drugs depend on the person. I think people should be free to do what they want as long as they don’t hurt anyone in the process. That’s the conundrum.
I guess you never released anything through labels like Relapse or bands using a mailorder through major labels etc. For instance. Why do you prefer to work with smaller DIY labels? Did you ever got any offer from major or Relapse?? What´s your opinion on Scion controversary?
I choose DIY labels cause I don’t want to be owned by anyone. Major labels rape you. I have no dreams of becoming a rockstar. I don’t need it. I live in a DIY scene, DIY people for DIY people. No we’ve never been approached by a major label. Maybe my reputation as being hard to deal with keeps them away haha. Scion, on one hand, they don’t really affect me. I don’t go to their shows, I will not play their shows. On the other hand, I know people who do, people in our scene. It’s disturbing how people don’t question their motives and accept it/them. They try to make it seem harmless, like they are doing people and bands a favor. Free shows, bands get paid well. In reality they are using you. They push their product and use you as their tools and sheep. They should stay the fuck out of our scene. Is it not enough that in our everyday life we have to put up with the corporate world in some way? Now they try to infiltrate our scene. This is OUR community. It’s underground for a reason. All the corporates should fuck off. To accept them goes against the very core of our ethos.
I am sure that from European tour you have remember a lot of exciting punk venues run by punx. Can you name some of them and your favourite places to play? What has excited you during the European tour most?
Yess yess. Lots. SOOOOO many AWESOME places, people. It’s really a disservice to name only a few. Off the top of my head Barrikaden in Oslo was awesome, I know the police shut it down a few years ago. EKH in Vienna, Yach club in Brno, Vastavirta in Tampere, Exzess in Frankfurt, Villa Vegan squat in Milano. Dijon, Barcelona, Neubrandenberg, G-16, I can go on and on. Way too many to mention. Favorite, places, this is real hard, as every place is different and awesome in their own way, Greece, Czech, Norway, Spain, etc. It really is an injustice to have to only pick a few. What has excited me the most? Ondra these questions are impossible to answer. I guess seeing something new. Everyday is like that. No meeting people I had been pen pals with for many years. Yes that is it.
You will be touring in Europe in 2013 again and you´ll have (crazy) 51 dates! Hardly I can imagine and survive so many gigs hehe. EXCRUCIATING TERROR never toured so often, so what´s has changed during the years? How physically demanding is tour for you?
Haha, it would be crazy to go for less dates. Last Euro tour was 52 dates. It’s never enough to go everywhere we want to. Life changes, we have to do what we can while we can is how I see it. No, ET never toured like this, nothing close to it. I wanted to but others either couldn’t or wouldn’t. One of the main reasons why it was time to end it, we reached our limit. And physically it does take a toll on you at times. Exhaustion sets in here and there. Mostly do to lack of proper sleep. I know I hit the wall while we were in Greece on our first Euro tour. It caught up to me there I couldn’t even drink much. I was just flat out tired with not much energy for anything other than playing a show. I become like a zombie at times. In Germany, on our last euro tour, on our 3rd to last show someone came up to me and asked if I was ok, that I looked upset. If I was not happy with the show. Haha, it made me laugh cause I was having a great time but my body was exhausted my brain fatigued and I guess it showed on my face. I also lose a lot of weight on tour and with it strength. I try to gain as much weight as possible before I leave to prepare. It’s not that I don’t eat on the road, quite the opposite, I eat better and more often than when I’m at home. I’m just more active and burn up more fuel. I’m glad I have someone like mike in the band, it really benefits me as he eats very healthy and it rubs off. When I get home from a long tour, no one sees me for about a week. I pretty much sleep the whole time.
Jerry, how many years are you active with playing grind core? What keeps you still interested? Do you feel that a kind of pressure as you get older and have families etc.?
Whoa, I don’t know, probably 25 years or so. Damn time flies. It’s in my blood. The world is a fucked up place, I need an outlet for my frustrations. Unfortunately I don’t see the world becoming peaceful in my lifetime. So my anger will keep me interested and motivated. No I don’t put that kind of pressure on myself. My mother used to but I think she finally understands that there is no hope for that in me haha. I like my life, I am selfish and not ready nor willing to change how I live. If a family comes it comes, if it doesn’t it doesn’t.
In 2013 grind core and hardcore/punk scene has gone through many changes. Aspects of it has been absorbed into the mainstream. We all in a bands, a labels, a scene in general using tools like facebook, myspace, paypal, ebay etc. How do you feel to be part of the hc/grind scene now and compare to old times? What´s your opinion?
Its just progress. I resisted myspace & FB for the longest times. FB sickens me. So many people craving attention. Anyhow, I do realize it’s just a tool to contact people. It is what it is. There are pros and cons to how things were and how they are now. Life adapts therefore we do to.
OK, That´s all. Thanks a lot Jerry, I wish you all the best and looking forward to meet you again! Hopefully a split EP BP/LYCANTHROPHY will happen :-))
No, thank you Ondra, it was a pleasure. Hope we cross paths this fall. That split will happen, it’s just a matter of time. Anyhow, see you soon my friend.
Cheers!