tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30852108552182212592024-03-12T19:45:44.111-07:00THE AGGRESSION: 92-06SUBMERGED TRUTHF.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-50682882436748677042007-08-27T09:02:00.000-07:002007-11-14T09:03:09.351-08:00Introduction: Dan "G" HamillIt’s rare when someone can say that “they were there at the beginning” and not be exaggerating…or outright lying. It’s even rarer when someone can say they were there at the end as well. But I was able to take this journey, from the basement of a Long Island bowling alley where DeSanto and Kruger had the balls to face an audience who were there primarily to see a hip hop show, with only a bass, a sequencer and the knowledge that they were probably the two smartest guys in the room. To a burnt out and deserted hotel on the outskirts of Moscow that for an evening pulled itself together enough to host the Aggression, now made up of childhood friends of DeSanto. It was yet another gig that proved challenging, as the young Muscovites seemed more interested in the booze they could drink, the drugs they could score, the temptations of cheap whores, and the fags who tried to molest our Kidd. It started badly, and from the reaction of Ash as the last note played, seemed to have ended worse. But in hindsight, it was a great way to go out. If only Robin could have provided the beats.<br /><br />So what did it all mean, from Long Island to Russia and everywhere in between? Maybe I’m the wrong guy to ask. Yes I was lucky enough to be there for the majority of it, but frankly, I don’t even like industrial music. And all these guys are my friends, how can I be partial? Putting all that aside, here’s the deal. The Aggression, in whatever form it took over the years, were uncompromising. They refused to cater their sound for a certain audience. They played every gig like it was their last. They made huge noisy records with tiny budgets. They met and earned the respect of the influential leaders of the industrial genre, establishing both social and working relationships. No, they didn’t make much money, and they didn’t sell many records, but what they did have was so much more important, conviction and confidence. These two qualities were what got The Aggression out of a Long Island bowling alley, and over to Mother Russia.<br /><br />(Editor’s Note: The aggression actually performed AFTER Russia, and G was there, but don’t tell him that)F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-25678608453157813732007-01-09T19:19:00.000-08:002008-12-10T15:56:37.726-08:00ALL IS REVEALED<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYniSUZSQoHrsUwS_7khZw2WH-lh0d8mXCUNdLEIltPqA_LBf1QmyCJzXBRcAyzqAdYsoDxrqoUIcbKr8y_wzIgbA-3wsoqW417aOGpH6mhmJtQGJptWX3PD4J5gcsD5RcJclhtuh2RW0/s1600-h/800px-Yamaha_QY10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYniSUZSQoHrsUwS_7khZw2WH-lh0d8mXCUNdLEIltPqA_LBf1QmyCJzXBRcAyzqAdYsoDxrqoUIcbKr8y_wzIgbA-3wsoqW417aOGpH6mhmJtQGJptWX3PD4J5gcsD5RcJclhtuh2RW0/s320/800px-Yamaha_QY10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017494131536314498" /></a>F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-39742475738929232162007-01-08T19:46:00.000-08:002007-01-07T19:51:17.985-08:00Chapter 1: THE WHITE TIGER LEAPSIn 1990, an 18 year old Frank Jeffrey DeSanto stood literally a foot away from Peter Hook as he played the long forgotten Marquee here in NY and everything changed. Immediately after, I bought a bass and went around proclaiming to anyone I met that I was, in fact, a bassist, which is sort of a misnomer even to this day, but this is my story so fuck yourself. <br /><br />A year later, a young film student named Ehren Kruger told me he loved Thrill Kill Kult. I told him I loved Ministry. And after one fateful night at the Ritz in 1991 or so, we both realized we loved the Sisters. Anyhow, neither of us had any musical talent, but goddamit we had ambition, and a Yamaha QY10 sequencer, and this led to many a night in the “music room” (read an empty room with a piano) in the basement of Hayden Hall improvising what would become the core songs of MOG and later Pirates of the aggression and then simply (thanks to Thompson’s dad) the aggression. Sometimes Link (who’s contribution to all this cannot be underplayed mostly because he was the only with any sort of musical background) was there, sometimes drinks were there, and of course the motherfucking QY10 was there, but no matter what, wherever I woke up the next day, there was a full audio cassette of the lowest fi insane shit I ever heard. In my mind, it was THE BEST SHIT EVER. Now, I had a band, and made sure everyone knew. I now had an excuse to justify my behaviour. And then Kruger and I decided to play. In the basement of a bowling alley. Not by choice. The sight of Dan Hamill laughing his ass off in the crowd at us will haunt me forever. I knew Lurch for 15 minutes when I handed him a video camera to tape said gig. Not only does he still socialize with me to this day, he even started writing an aggression biography when the band was like a year old. Full Impact.<br /><br />I immersed myself in the world of “industrial”. Now, put it in perspective. Back then, this was truly underground. Not some Hot Topic bullshit. This meant something, not like today. Yes, there were several cowboy hats. I lived the gimmick before the gimmick was cool. And while Kruger was writing and Link was winning, your hero had to do something to bring home the bacon. And at a party inside the house in front of the backyard where I wrestled, Mark Mohtashemi was found, half melodrama, mostly indifferent, and with a talent and interest that matched my own. And everything changed. Suddenly, we could rock and suddenly I had a true partner in crime. Kruger named him Fingers, which later became Phingers (I still don’t recall how but I think it was something scientific). Riffs abounded, guitar riffs that is. This is all just around the time I started writing fan letters to Jared from Chemlab who revealed there were others out there. And while it saddened Mark to learn he wasn’t the one who invented the idea of marrying guitars to electronics, we were both excited to find there was a world of musicians who got this.<br /><br />After the now legendary gig at the Underworld, Kruger and Link went on their way to adult lives and for a while, Mark and I continued making music in dorm rooms and living rooms and basements. I’m still convinced the aggression got Mark transferred to Fordham from NYU. We fucking lived it and lived it hard. But you can do that in your early 20’s while living in a dorm room in the greatest city on the planet without an iota of responsibility. We didn’t have a campus or a frat, we had Limelight and the Batcave. That was our education.F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-47282083997612641102007-01-07T13:22:00.000-08:002007-01-10T13:24:20.965-08:00Chapter 2: TRACKING THE VIRUSAround here, Thompson’s mother told me about some kid her brother went to school with who had heard the aggression demos and was dabbling in electronic music and wanted to work with us. Obviously just by his interest in us, you knew he was fucked in the head from the start, but he was tall (this comes in handy much later in the story), had a sampler, knew how to play notes, and didn’t argue (yet). He looked like Ashley Hamilton (who had just married the real life counterpart of Marks’ fictional love Brenda Walsh, no relation to sue, but brother of Brandon), and thus we had no choice but to call him Ash. He came to Toad’s basement and played some sweet synths and suddenly we were a trio. For about 10 minutes…<br /><br />I honestly cannot recall how Tom became part of the aggression. I simply recall him being there at a certain point with a guitar, and that was it. Which is odd, because I have a decent memory for this shit. I think Ash had something to do with it cause they were in a band together, though I think Ash had been fired. But suddenly, Tom was there, bringing the enthusiasm Mark didn’t display (externally), and bringing skills none of us had. And for the first time, it was a proper band…with a drum machine. As planned.<br /><br />With this unit, the aggression really took off. We played shows, we wrote songs, and were often focused. But what was more interesting was that we transcended the band. Our close friends like G and Matt became essential parts of the crew. This was a traveling gang. It wasn’t unusual for Kruger and Link to come back and make cameos onstage or on tape (some day, I’ll do a retrospective piece on MOG supergroup The Albrecht Go’s ) I loved each and every one of these guys and if it was something as complicated as traveling to play a gig or just going to the Wendy’s there was no better group of people to spend time with. These were the early days of the MOGpac.F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-44982499444624574762007-01-06T07:30:00.000-08:002007-01-14T23:06:40.993-08:00Chapter 3: INEVITABLEWe gained momentum. Back then, we (Mark and I in particular), networked the shit out of the “scene”. People might not have known the band, but they sure as hell knew us. From that, we realized we had to take it to the next step. So someone (maybe Mark) found a “real” studio way out in Suffolk that we could afford and in we went to do what would be referred to hereafter “The Dare Sessions”. In retrospect, the stuff sounds great and reflects a simplicity and focus that we didn’t get back to (in my opinion) until FLOOD. We were going to do an album, called INEVITABLE and we actually recorded a lot of it on tape. Said tapes have been sitting under my mom’s desk for 14 years. These sessions were not without drama of course, Ash and I in particular clashed, which in a weird twist, paved the way for our future collaborations and friendship (hey I’m in his wedding party, bitch).<br /><br />But the cracks were there. As I was making inroads to take us to the heart of the scene in Chicago, our relationship with Ash, his interest in techno reaching a fever pitch, began to crumble. We played one final disaster of the show on Long Island (including an 8 minute “encore” of CROSS) before not seeing Ash for a few years.<br /><br />Down to a trio, Tom, Mark and your hero flew out to Chicago to work at the Warzone with Chris Randall, Van Christie and Jason McNinch. Chicago was the eye opener. These were the guys who were doing it and living it and we soaked up the entire experience. Big studio. Big guns. And there we were, tracking a demo that was going to go to Wax Trax…supposedly…Anyhow, we went to the clubs, we saw some gigs, we recorded all night and everything clicked and we left with a demo that was miles ahead of anything we had done previously. I can remember the three of us crashing in the hotel, up 20 plus hours straight, unable to sleep, cause we were so excited. I remember turning 23 (or so) in the studio and thinking there was no place I wanted to be.F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-65161520324564507272007-01-05T07:32:00.000-08:002007-01-17T08:42:05.747-08:00Chapter 4: DISPOSABLE MEMORIESThe demo did its job: it got us noticed. We had label offers, but nothing was greater than when Jared cornered Mark and I at one of the side bars in Limelight and told us we were destined to be an FCR band. We knew it too, but the reality was the contract offered was so bad that even Jared eventually told us to turn it down. Every band from FCR that we wrote to told us not to sign. Luckily, we listened. Had we signed, the first aggression album never would have seen the light of day thanks to FCR’s legal woes. During all this, a guy called The Emperor (real name Jeff Johnson) had been talking to us about his label, a New Jersey upstart called Tinman that was gaining some momentum. We liked Jeff and he booked one of our more infamous shows at a place called Lovesexy in Hoboken which was a riot of an evening in itself.<br /><br />The FCR thing took a year before we realized it was a bust. But we didn’t waste that year. Based on the premise that our song ARENA 85 had to be re-mixed in order to bring it to Wax Trax…supposedly…Tom, Mark and I financed another jaunt to Chicago to re-do the song and do a few more songs while there before meeting with Dannie…supposedly. We had written some new songs and were raring to go. The three of us even recorded an acoustic song, THE CHICAGO DRINKING SONG, which was probably the best thing we ever wrote at that point (and it was the fucking hidden track). <br /><br />What’s strange about the aggression is that we’ve never had to go find band members. They all just show up or someone knows someone and I think in 14 years we spent about 4 minutes recruiting people. Why? I don’t know. Perfect example was the addition of the Kidd. Believe this or not, of all the people in the story, I have known the youngest almost the longest. Long story short, I went to nursery school (seriously) with his older brother, reconnected in high school with the brother, thus leading to many nights having to watch the little kidd and then subsequently making him part of the band crew when he was about 13. Because of my relationship with the family, his parents thought “oh he’s with F.J., he’s fine”. Silly Silly people. He was crewing for us by the time Ash was on his way out. Can you imagine this little fucker seeing gigs at Limelight at 14 or him walking up to Pete Steele and handing him an aggression demo the day before the SAT’s? One day, The Kidd went up to me and said “I’ve been taking piano lessons, I love Gavin Friday, I’m going to be in the band”. That was it. Seriously. And he was a blast to have, a real positive force. Plus he looked good and the keyboardist has to be tall. If you ever saw the keyboard player in Suede, note that the Kidd pre-dated that gimmick. Anyhow, we were a band again and it felt fucking great.F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-73002230410842728672007-01-04T07:42:00.000-08:002007-01-21T07:43:43.030-08:00Chapter 5: WHITELINEOVERRIDEOne of our “producers” thought we should wait and get a record deal before recording more. But we couldn’t sit around, we had spent so much time and our own money on these songs, so instead of waiting for a label to pony up the cash for us to record, we (for better or for worse) decided to produce and finish the album ourselves and sell it to a label so we could have more ownership. We couldn’t afford to keep going back to Chicago, but our trips there gave us the confidence (perhaps misguided) to produce the rest of the record ourselves in New York. We all lived in close proximity to one another, were either in college (them) or just out and unemployed (me), and we could spend tons of time on the band.<br /><br />Now all we needed was a place to record it. Tom or Mark or both found Tiki studios out on Long Island, and it was a pretty sweet place. No home recording then, kids. You spent your hard earned or scammed money on the studio and bitch you are on the clock (Brandt would be in the poor house by now) and you worked. And worked we did. One of the reasons we decided to work there was the guys had me an engineer there named Kieran, who was into the kind of music we were doing and understood what we were going for. This was important as we wanted to be in control and not have to spend hours explaining to an engineer what we wanted to do. Nor did we want a “producer” telling us what labels wanted to hear or what was going to “sell”. We were making music for us and us alone. <br /><br />The newer songs, like GEMINI SKY, COCKDIESEL and AIRLY, were solid and diverse tunes that we were excited to record. The studio was occasionally tedious as we were laying every sound to ADAT. But it was fun and exciting, and having Kieran there made things a lot easier than it might have been anywhere else. The Acumen boys came down and did some parts. People who were hearing it liked the newer stuff more than the material we had done in Chicago. We were cocky. We were meeting bands, playing gigs and making compilation appearances around the world. The album at that time was going to be called ICON 00. I’m not sure how I came up with that title, but it didn’t last and the album would eventually be called WHITELINEOVERRIDE. Of course you would think it was a drug reference, but let me tell you the true story. Ministry had done a mix of JESUS BUILT MY HOTROD,called the “Redline/Whiteline” mix. I loved the idea of sound overloading into white noise. And thus, Whitelineoverride meant we were taking (in my mind) one step further. Sorry Mark. No drugs.F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-71201703443373507502007-01-03T23:16:00.000-08:002007-12-26T23:29:01.231-08:00Chapter 6: IMAGES TRAPPED IN THE BRAINI don’t remember how much time we spent on the album, but it seemed to take a long time. And when it was done, it seemed even longer to come out. We had to go through every possible option label wise. As mentioned, the first offer was from FCR, which Mark and I desperately wanted to be on. We tried every which way to make that deal happen, but they offered nothing and wanted the world (hence Acumen’s “Territory = Universe” album title). We always had Tinman waiting in the wings, and a label called Decibel also came calling. We had a decent profile. At some point, Mark and I, while dealing with Zalman from FCR (who got us wasted beyond belief with free drinks) in DC, ended up going onstage with Jared, Bryan Black, and co for a Hellbent set. I think Tom walked on and was like “what the fuck is this” and left. We felt like we arrived, like we were a part of something. We traveled, we left a trail of destruction in our wake, and we didn’t even have a fucking record out. But man what a crew we had!<br /><br />We were incredibly impatient. We had seen Virus 23 re-record songs over and over again, never really doing anything new or releasing a proper album. I think that motivated me quite a bit, and probably made me sloppy at times. We’d record for weeks and then play shows for a bit and then come back. We’d travel around the East Coast, checking out Chemlab (our all time fave band of the genre), Acumen, 16 Volt, and especially Skrew, who Mark and I loved obsessively, mostly because they seemed to be playing here every week. Grossman is still a friend to this day. He would give us tremendous advice, as would the other bands. It was a pretty cool group of people (outside of NYC).<br /><br />Things like getting promoted all over the country, mastering, artwork, etc, were much more difficult to get done then. The internet was new. A lot of networking happened in AOL chatrooms (called "industrial, baby"), believe it or not. True Fact: my first contact with Irene was in said chatrooms and we later met for the first time when the aggression played in Philly (she of course missed the gig) and the internets is also how I met Brandt! Some of my earliest E-mail exchanges were with guys from FCR bands, all of whom told me not to sign!<br /><br />A lot of the professional networking was made a lot easier thanks to a friendship I struck up with Vikki Karan, who had been managing Virus 23 during the height of their success (it’s no mystery to me that their success started to wane as soon as she left). I would see this girl at every gig. Everyone knew Vikki and she knew all the right people. She was very tight with Jared (and is to this day). I stalked her for months, seeing how she was making things happen and learning that this chick was a true player in the scene. This stalking culminated at a 4th of July Chemlab/V23 gig at CBGB’s where I finally approached her and begged her to manage us. She eventually declined, despite my best efforts (I even bought her Sizzling Rice Soup), but set so many wheels in motion that the aggression would have been a very different band and I would be a much different person as Vikki has in the last 13 years become a vital part of not only the MOGpac, but of the DeSanto family as well, and remains so to this day (I’m actually writing this just before meeting her for dinner in Los Angeles). Through Vikki, I was introduced to the various fanzines and booking agents the aggression needed to get ahead. She also introduced me to her friend, Robin Glowski, a graphic artist who worked at TVT Records and was responsible for a lot of the latter day Wax Trax releases. She agreed to come onboard and do the artwork for the first album. Photoshop wasn’t something you could just put on your computer then, and computers couldn’t hold nearly as much as they do now. You had to print film for your artwork etc, but Robin did an amazing job establishing the aggression visual identity. Her work on PURE LIQUID EGO remains a favourite. <br /><br />We played a lot of gigs, including an absolute classic, the Kidd’s first gig at the Capital Ballroom, in DC, which was the first time we felt we were getting some respect as a band and a live act (we certainly weren’t going to get it at home). We would do a lot of gigs with Clay People and other local acts. There were a lot of them then and muti band bills were the norm at places like The Bank, Pyramid, and The Batcave, and we found ourselves popping up on various bills. The Bank gigs were always particularly memorable. We could bring in a small but enthusiastic crowd. Every time we played, we tried to make it an event, and we usually succeeded. We then reached a point where we were playing memorable gigs at CB's, which was a big milestone for all of us. We ended up playing there a few times, always to a great crowd.<br /><br />A lot of what comes next is blurry, but I think that was because it was just a lot of fun. As most of our history was, it was a carefree time where the band was all that mattered. I think we were all together nonstop until I moved into the now legendary MOGbiosphere (As deemed by Ehren Kruger) on Gold Street in Lower Manhattan (aka Ground Zero). We had just moved in there when we signed our deal with Tinman. It was a great moment. We had a record deal. I made it so we all had to sign the deal. This was a band and every fucker, even the Kidd was going to enjoy the moment of putting their name on the paper. Now things were proper. I remember jumping on NJ Transit late at night with Robin to pick up the discs just as they’d been pressed. Tinman had distro then, through Caroline, so you could actually buy the CD in the store. Some people did, I think. Tinman was supportive of the band and gave us the go ahead to start working on a remix album, which we began working even before WHITELINE hit the streets. The four of us started writing some new songs.<br /><br />Momentum was at our side. The aggression machine was really starting to move. We were known around town, and a bit beyond, we knew the right people, played with the right bands, and now were ready to go to the next step. And then Mark decides to move…to Los Angeles.F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-6769520045066441512007-01-03T14:18:00.000-08:002008-12-10T15:56:38.292-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oYNOoy7jU8v9685rY1Mq2L9g1X3NsiNaGSTZXhJDndEp-jaWf9tPVprDnbmtyDPTb906eJvJ1cn7MmgyfHdF4RbfBXpWiszYbrQ-4I2ii8QJwR68xiKCxhZI08cWbMVfNU6m7mJUDsQ/s1600-h/iceland+hotel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oYNOoy7jU8v9685rY1Mq2L9g1X3NsiNaGSTZXhJDndEp-jaWf9tPVprDnbmtyDPTb906eJvJ1cn7MmgyfHdF4RbfBXpWiszYbrQ-4I2ii8QJwR68xiKCxhZI08cWbMVfNU6m7mJUDsQ/s320/iceland+hotel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048201104270929714" /></a>F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-17834033533926909132007-01-02T23:59:00.000-08:002007-12-29T09:06:16.323-08:00CHAPTER 7: BEAUTIFUL LOSERSLos Angeles? What the fuck, right? Somehow, Mark gets it in his head that it’s time to go to Law School. Don’t ask me. As far as I was concerned, this was the end of everything. Literally. I didn’t know what we were going to do now, but I knew we had to do something. Suddenly, the next year I had planned in my head suddenly had to happen in like 4 months or so. At the end of the summer of1997, he was done. Gigs were booked and these new songs we were working on had to be recorded. ASAP.<br /><br />The band suddenly went from invincible to having a fucking death sentence. I remember canceling a gig with Dystopia cause I was all kinds of panicky about what our priorities were. In my mind, there was no band without Mark and I would have to worry about what that meant when he left. The “we’ll work when I come back on break” bullshit wasn’t flying with me. Like most things with the aggression, I felt things had to happen NOW cause we never had enough time. We rehearsed, we wrote, we planned. I felt like I was writing the last will and testament of the band. <br /><br />We played a gig at Under Acme (which we later learned was at the time owned by Chris Link’s future brother in law), and everything came to a head. I remember drinking by myself at Continental for hours just strictly out of insecurity. They put us on way too early; 7:30pm. What a fucking disaster. I tanked the gig. Intentionally. It was probably my fuck you to Mark. We were all drunk and fucked up. I remember the Kidd looking at me onstage like I was from another planet. Maturity was not on my agenda. This is without a doubt my lowest point in the entire history of the band. I was running around in traffic like a moron, crying and screaming like it was the end of the world. Tom slapped me around trying to get me to get my shit together. Then he gave me total beatdown that I deserved. Back then, he was the voice of reason. Seriously. I remember tears and vomit. The band was supposed to be above all. This was my first lesson that it wasn’t that way for others. I have a very very very few regrets in my lie, that entire evening was one of them. I was a total fucker, but in my mind it was better to be the fucker who stayed in the band then the judas who was going to law school. Mind you, he’s a lawyer now, supposedly, so maybe he made the right move for him.<br /><br />We laid low for a bit, but that didn’t last long. It was time to go back into the studio. We still didn’t have the chops to produce ourselves, especially without Ash, so we started to think about how to approach the 4 songs we had written for the EP. We decided to work with George Hagegeorge, who had a band called Under The Noise and later Urania (the first band Ash and I ever remixed). I had really liked his production and remix work with Clay People, and I am pretty sure Tinman had some kind of relationship with him. Either Jeff Tinman or Dan from Clay People put me in touch with George. Anyway, George was cool as fuck to talk to, was eager to work with us, and after weeks of writing and programming, Tom, Mark and I (The Kidd might have been in Summer School or some shit), found ourselves on the way to Baltimore to work record. Luckily, our dear friend Harbour, who was one of the first people to take notice and interview the aggression, and at the time was interning for FCR, was able to put us up at his pops house. <br /><br />Mark, Tom and I were slightly hesitant about working with another producer, despite knowing we needed one. However, once we got set up with George, we found his easygoing personality and creative ideas a total joy to work with. He was encouraging and knew how to handle us. When it came to working, we weren’t the drunk and loud buffoons we appeared to be in interviews. We were all business and had a good work ethic. He was massively ahead of his time. We’re talking 1997 and he was already digitally recording music into his computer at home. We constantly had our balls busted for doing this by Kieran, the Acumen guys and anyone else who had anything resembling a recording budget. George had a sweet wife, Cheryl, and a lotta cats (that I was massively allergic to) and they went out of their way to make this as pleasant an experience as possible. We had some strong songs, including MISSIONARY MAN (which was a Mark/Tom song that they had been working on during soundchecks), BEAUTIFUL LOSERS (probably my least favourite ever recorded aggression song), HEY! (which started during an Albrecht Go’s jam), and CROSS, which was written years before in the dorm room, was a live staple that never left the set and was basically a variation of the Sisters TRAIN. It was Jeff at Tinman who specifically asked us to record that after he had to continually tell people at our gigs that this awesome rocker wasn’t on the album he was selling. I think we lost a few sales on that. I remember wrapping the songs up and driving back to NYC with Tom and Mark thinking this was the last thing the aggression was ever going to record…F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-22584322553493152082007-01-02T10:21:00.000-08:002007-09-09T10:21:43.093-07:00THE RUSSIA REPORTThe Aggression in RUSSIA, March 2003<br /><br />The cast of characters:<br />Matt Gentile: Management, international club superstar. The man with the contacts.<br />Mike "Ash" Venezia: Guitarist/Computer Mastermind and Lead Foreign Ambassador. Tallest Foreigner in Russia.<br /><br />Mike "The Kidd" Hess: Keyboardist, Vodka taster, Omelet maker. Communism scholar.<br /><br />F.J. DeSanto: Vocalist, Bassist, recovering caviar addict (should not be exposed to jagermeister or any Tabasco related drinks).<br /><br />Thomas Whitfleet: Vocalist, Guitarist, and Head Chef. Ruler of Xanadu. Just wants to dance.<br /><br />Dan G. Hamill: Trip organizer, insomniac, beard. Occasionally awake.<br /><br /> <br /><br />First, a little backstory. We're the aggression, from New York. We've just released our third CD, FLOOD, on the Tinman label. But the aggression is not just a band; it's a gang of 6 who have known each other anywhere from 10-20 years. This tight group is known as "The MOGpac" In 2001, the aggression first ventured abroad to the UK to perform at a release party for a compilation we appeared on called DEFCON 1. We turned that trip into a mini vacation, starting with a 4-day romp in Iceland, (now the stuff of legend) before. It was incredible. We met a lot of great people and got our music to places we never thought we ever could and as soon as we got home from that adventure, discussions began about where to venture next…<br /><br />It took a year to plan, but Russia was chosen, so without further delay, we join the MOGpac en route to Russia…<br /><br />We arrive to a very sunny and pleasant Moscow. After all that talk about bringing thermal underwear and how we're going to freeze our asses off and be buried in snow, Moscow is warmer than New York and is remarkably snow free. There are traces of melting snow, but I honestly think we got lucky with the weather on this trip (despite the later rain, it snows briefly only once). Dimitri, the driver arranged to pick us up (and of whom Tom does an incredibly hilarious impersonation of), welcomes us and brings us to the mini van that, once we're inside, resembles a sardine can. It's a very long and uncomfortable drive from the airport, but the excitement of just being here overrides it and we're able to have a laugh about it. We arrive at the Hotel Belgrad, which I'm told by G is famous and has been immortalized in a Russian film called, appropriately enough "Hotel Belgrad". I wonder if Blockbuster carries it. The hotel is nice and has the essentials, bed, toilet, cable, and a 24-hour bar in the lobby, which often becomes our starting point and ending point each day for either drinks or vodka.<br /><br />Some are tired and want to rest and others, like myself, Tom, Ash and Matt are looking for an evening out, so we are met by Zaur, Matt's contact who has arranged the Moscow show. Zaur is a German raised in Russia. He speaks perfect English and recently quit his job as a financial analyst to become a full time musician. He play guitar for Dolphin, a former boy band star who, in adulthood, has transformed himself into the Russian Beck. We later learn that Dolphin is a very important artist and speaks with "the voice of the people." Zaur later gives me a couple of Dolphin's album and I have become quite a fan, despite my not understanding a word. Anyway, Zaur takes the four of us to a pub called the Riverside, which is basically your local pub and we have a hell of a time. This is Zaur's hangout, so we meet lots of cool people ranging from musicians to young politicians, play pool and drink ourselves silly. The house band plays Beatle covers and later the DJ spins Savage Garden. For some reason, in Russia this is all quite cool and very enjoyable.<br /><br />Oh yeah, by the way, Zaur informs us that the first gig is cancelled due to the club closing down. Collective moans all around. Another gig has been arranged for the 15th, which means we have to switch all of our hotel and train reservations between Moscow and St. Petersburg. I don't know how Matt and G did this, but they pulled it off, seemingly without any problems. So now, we'll play St. Petersburg first and then Moscow at the end of our trip. At this point I would like to mention that Matt made me put the original gig dates on the back of our "Russia 2003" shirts, which now are either stupid cause the dates are wrong or are a collectors item, depending on how you look at it. Oh well, we're in Russia, we're playing gigs, so who cares!!<br /><br />The gig rescheduling gives us a few days to go sightseeing, G hires a guy our age, named Dan, to give us a walking tour of the city, which is very enjoyable, especially since the weather is nice. The city is very nice, very old, and as Tom so often points out quite "filthy". But its fun to explore and when I discover CD's are only three dollars US, I get quite mental. We're told Depeche Mode is the biggest international band in Russia, so I snag some great B-side and Remix bootleg CD's. Dave Gahan is coming both to Moscow and St. Petersburg in June and is playing arenas for a solo album no one has heard. Now THAT is star power. Maybe we can open for him. Anyway, many CD's are purchased, a lot of shopping, and we even get drunk on vodka in a mall by the Kremlin. Good times.<br /><br />G has arranged for us to take the overnight train from Moscow to St. Petersburg. After a wonderful Italian dinner in an empty restaurant, we hurry to make the 12:15am train. The Moscow train station, is, quite an adventure in itself. Obi-Wan Kenobi (or Acumen Nation) would deem it "eville". It's the first time since we've left New York that we have felt unsafe. We're obviously American and carrying our gear with us doesn't help either. We spend our time there grabbing water, beer, chips (Lay's Bacon Potato Chips are the discovery of the trip!), etc for the 11-12 hour ride and we encounter one or two pick pocket attempts, but nothing really beyond that. But it's a shady place, straight out of a film noir movie from the 40's. As we walk to the foggy platform, many eyes (in my opinion) seem to be on us.<br /><br />These trains aren't exactly designed for traveling bands, but we adjust and squeeze our luggage/equipment, and the six of us into two overnight compartments. Once inside, Ash has bit of a confrontation with one of the conductors, (though we're not sure what over thanks to the language barrier) who somehow gets some money off of Ash and is his new best friend. Later, Tom, Ash and I are able to bust out the guitars and powerbook and have an impromptu "rehearsal" while Matt sleeps away below and spills beer on himself (this will not be an isolated incident with Matt this trip). I then retire to my bunk and quickly pass out…<br /><br />Peaceful slumber doesn't last as we are all awakened to the sound of the train arriving in St. Petersburg, right on time. And with that prompt arrival, the train crew wants everyone off immediately and I mean immediately. Ash's conductor friend seemingly doesn't recall the ruble "gift" of the night before and is constantly yelling at us to get the hell off the train. After that ordeal, we find ourselves in the St. Petersburg train station, which is designed exactly like the one in Moscow but is totally opposite in atmosphere. It's safe, clean and well lit. Once we get our bearings, Matt and G decide our hotel is close enough to walk to. And we're off…<br /><br />Straight into the cold and pouring rain. Again, the locals look us upon as if we were aliens. Honestly, after a while, this becomes kind of cool. However, today, in the rain and carrying bags and guitars, we really just want to be dry and warm. As we plod our way towards the hotel, something catches my eye on a street corner wall. Upon further inspection, I my suspicions are confirmed: I have just found a poster for our St. Petersburg show with "THE AGGRESSION (USA)" written in large red letters across it. Considering all the other bands are written in small letters, its then when we realize that we are the headliners. I think we all stared at this poster for 10 minutes just laughing at how wild it was to see our name on a Russian poster. And these posters are EVERYWHERE in this city. If no one shows, you can't blame it on a lack of promotion (USA take note).<br /><br />I don't know how G pulled this off, but somehow instead of staying a regular hotel, he has secured for us a very large 3 bedroom, 2-bathroom condo at the Swiss consulate. After the tight accommodations in Moscow, this is like winning the lottery, until of course I realize that the room Tom and I have doesn't have the two single beds the other rooms have. No, of course the band's two vocalists are forced to share a queen-sized bed. This prompts much ribbing from the other guys. So much for the rock n roll lifestyle. But the place is pretty swank and we're the first people to ever stay in it. We then proceed to stock the kitchen with tons of food ranging from cereal to caviar (to which I quickly become addicted). Commune dinners and breakfasts become the rage, with Tom and Matt delivering an awesome pasta dinner and the Kidd transforming himself from keyboard player to the King of Omelets.<br /><br />That night Vuvo, Matt's contact in St. Petersburg who set up the show here, comes by to visit with his band mate Dan (aka Gnome) and their girlfriends. Introductions are made and fortunately they speak decent English. Soon after, we're out and about and they take us to their hangout, a café in the artists section of town, which is an interesting complex of old buildings, mostly deserted, but with clubs and cafes found in the nooks and crannies of the complex. The centerpiece of the complex is a passageway called "John Lennon Way" which is there to promote "peace and art" (it says in English on a plaque).<br /><br />The café is like a living room and a group of 12 or so of us spend the bulk of the evening getting to know each other and talking about music and our respective cultures. These people, all our age, are no different than us, people with day jobs who spend every moment working on music as much as possible. In the case of these guys, they have THREE bands, Scang (melodic Nu-metal), Stress (guitar industrial who will be opening for us), and my favorite, Dubsinthe (tribal electro in a mellow Die Warzau kind of way, also opening for us). There is no industrial "scene" per se, but it's not unusual to be in multiple bands making different kinds of music. These guys all have different bands in which they do different things. It seems Vuvo is the one constant in all three bands. Later, we are joined by Atom, the "mastermind" (their word) of their music. He's the lead guy in Dubsinthe and his solo work as Atom Fear has made it to a compilation or two on Warp records. So this guy means business. He's known in the café, so he gets them to spin his music, which is quite good. Their vocalist has the range of a Jim Marcus or Dan Neet. Discs are eventually exchanged. Later, Ash, Matt and I go with the crew to the studio, where they are mixing new Scang material. We stay till about two in the morning, while the other guys hit a club that finds them approached by skate kids and hookers.<br /><br />The next day is our sightseeing day, with Vuvo's girlfriend, Nellie, taking us around and showing us The Hermitage and various other historical sights. St. Petersburg is a pretty city, very old Europe. One of my favorite 'attractions" is a statue of a horse overlooking a canal that has napoleon's head where its genitals should be, a nice old school Russian "screw you" to the French. We have one scary instance where a big block of ice falls from a building and destroys a car windshield right as we're walking past it. Scared the hell out of us!! I'm later told that over a dozen people are hurt or killed a year because of this falling ice problem. That to me is not the proper rock n roll way to go, know what I mean?<br /><br />We constantly rehearse in Ash's room to make sure we are in shape for the gig. The set list is debated and will be so all the way till we hit the stage. I like to use these drummer-less "old school" gigs as a way to play the material from our first two CD's that we don't play any more, so consideration is given to that material, along with the singles and rockier material from "FLOOD".<br /><br />Finally, its time for the first gig. We have to be at the Red Club for soundcheck at 5pm. The game faces are on. The venue is in walking distance. Now, when you play a venue in the states, you kind of know what you are getting into, or at least you have an idea. We don't know what clubs are like here, what the standard is in terms of sound, stage, etc. and while we've been assured by our Russian friends that this is a good club, we're all a bit uncertain. However, some research has been done and we've learned that this is the club where most international acts play. Upon arriving at the club, we're very happy to learn that this three level club is quite up to snuff and has a great stage and great sound system. All the equipment we asked for is there and we're good to go. Our soundcheck goes smoothly, the crew of the club is very cooperative, except when we try to bring beer in and are stopped by club security, which are a bunch of guys in smart suits. They're bit scary in a KGB sort of way, but they don't give us too hard a time.<br /><br />After a quick bite (including caviar, of course) we're back to the club to check out the opening acts. However, we learn that Dubsinthe has a dilemma in that Atom has been arrest for drug possession! When I tell Gnome's girlfriend (who's name I don't remember, but we called her Noxzema girl because of her excellent skin) that we're sorry he got arrested, she tells us "its no big deal, at least he was arrested by real police". It turns out Russia has a big "fake police" problem in which impersonators "arrest" people to rob them (or worse). I'm shocked to hear this, but Noxzema Girl is more interested in talking about our song "kamikazi.God" which claims is "the best song I have ever heard". Since she is so vocal in her praise for the song, we decide to add it to the set (luckily we played it at soundcheck).<br /><br />The Atom-less Dubsinthe performs and they are quite good. Very live tribal stuff, which Gnome providing some excellent percussion. For a band improvising, this is awesome. The gig is off to a great start. There's quite a few people in the club as well, also a good sign. Stress comes on next and I believe this was their debut gig. They're mix of synth loops and heavy guitar give them a fun NIN vibe, but with less angst and more melody. Their frontman is the tallest man in Russia I think and the band goes over really well (there is a rumour in Russia that the tallest men get the prettiest girls, which in this guys case is the truth as his wife is stunning). This is a band I want to hear on CD. Quite simply, they rock, and at least in my mind they've upped the ante.<br /><br />Now it's our turn. Because things are running late, we've been asked to cut our set down a bit. Because we see the kids are into the heavy stuff, we eliminate some of the lighter tracks. We come onstage to a solid round of applause and a scattered crowd, mostly lurking in the back. Several kids are right up at the front, already screaming. We break into Lion's Den and the sound is good and the band is tight. It's also a nice sized stage so it gives us room to run around a bit. By the third song, we've won over quite a few people and the crowd grows to about 150, all of who stay through the remainder of the set and move up to the front. The enthusiastic kids in the front get more and more vocal, especially when I start interacting with them. They pogo, they chant along and the mood becomes electric. As we've learned most young people in Russia speak English, so they are able to understand what I'm saying between songs, but they cheer wildly when I say "Thank You" in Russian. They love the harder songs and really love the rock n roll stage antics. By mid-set, band and crowd have developed a great rapport, though that's not to say there's not a heckler or two. One kid in particular, a total hipster doofus dressed in bad plaid pants, takes it upon himself to discuss music with me in between songs, asking me "when are you going to change your style?" Now if this were in NY, I would verbally castrate this kid beyond belief. But here in Russia, God knows who this kid is and if he could have me beaten up. So I keep my mouth shut a few songs, but eventually the need to be a wise ass overcomes me and I tell the crowd "I'll change my style when this guy changes his pants". Obviously no one gets this except this guy and his pal (who's into it). The guys face turns red and he walks out, forcing his reluctant friend to come with him. We end with Kamizaki.God and Noxzema Girl gets a nice pit going. The song goes over really well and we're off, to a very appreciative round of applause.<br /><br />Spirits are high backstage and the bands all hang out discussing the events of the evening. Matt informs me that I should go to the merch "booth" a table) downstairs, because people are asking for autographs. Needless to say, he's not kidding, and I end up signing tons of CD's, posters, ticket stubs etc. Its quite odd posing for photographs, especially with the no longer tight assed security guards. T-shirts and CD's are sold. The only two Goth girls in St. Petersburg, Anna and Margot, approach us and are determined to hang out with the band. Almost too determined, but hey its Russia. Of course with such a large group, free flowing beer and Vodka, and a great gig, the next step is obvious: Party at our place! But no one can! Everyone has work or school the next day, and thus we can now confirm that Russians NEVER go out on weeknights. Every restaurant is empty, every club is empty. Weeknights just ain't happening. Of course, the Goth girls walk us home and its quite a task explaining to them that they can't come up to the condo with us. Very tough, Russian girls.<br /><br />The rest of the stay in St. Petersburg involves some of the lads getting tattoos from one of Vuvo's friends while others do more sightseeing. A day or so later we're on the day train back to Moscow to make it just in time for the second gig that night. It's a nice, yet cramped, 6-hour train ride capped off by a nice blini dinner in the ultra retro dining car.<br /><br />We rush back to our Moscow hotel and quickly change and get our gear ready for the show. Zaur is at the hotel with car, girlfriend and taxi to take us to the venue, which is called Club Relax. And off we go…and go…and go…for almost and hour, outside of the city. WAY outside the city. Its way after midnight and the fact that we're now beyond the burbs and into some, no pun intended, industrial section is kind of nerve wracking. Someone even (half) jokes "are you guys taking us here to be killed?' Nervous laughter ensues.<br /><br />In a run down section of town we arrive at the "club" which is actually a deserted, dilapidated hotel. There is only one functioning floor in the whole 8-10 story building, and that's the 5th floor that serves as club relax. Needless to say, we felt a little out of sorts. In particular, I was kind of freaked out, especially with the amount of police hanging out outside the building.<br /><br />The actual club is converted disco with a stage and a bar. And it's all kind of crap. It's Front 242 night at Club Relax so it seems like the only thing being spun is 242 and the same 8 or so 242 songs over and over again. The DJ's are crap, they can't mix the songs together and people all seem rather bored. The guy running this show, who's band is opening for us, is a total teenage dickhead who looks like a Flock of Seagulls rip off, complete with bad new romantic army uniform. He's too drunk to engage in a normal conversation and is actually quite rude to us. Needless to say, he's not helping the vibe. They give us a backstage "closet" to hang in, but we don't really spend too much time in it, especially when, despite attempts to keep people out, the room is filled with randoms who look at us like we're criminals. Zaur introduces us to a lot of his friends who are there, who, like Zaur, are quite cool and we all gravitate to this dimly lit room with a Goth conference table and all sort of wind up pairing off into different chats. A guy from New Jersey, who has lived in Moscow for the past three years teaching English, later joins us. Like me, he's an NYU grad, so there's a lot to talk about. We ask him what the scene is like here in Moscow and he tells us "there is none". He was a little weird, but cool.<br /><br />Flock of Douchebags plays, but we can't be arsed to check it out. We can hear the dickhead screaming onstage to some bad electro and honestly that's the best I can tell you. Zaur's band MC DEAD come on next and I'm surprised at how good they are. Sort of like a nu metal chemlab. Good loops and Zaur shows why he is an in demand guitar player. He's really good. The singer is a bit too Korn for me and he looks like the singer from Linkin Park, but they get the crowd going and have a good reaction. It would be interesting to hear these guys on disc (they haven't recorded yet).<br /><br />So around 3:30am, we take to the stage at Club Relax, with no soundcheck, crappy amps and we take the stage to about 150 Muscovites who are tired, drunk and blankly staring at us. The vibe is not good. We decide to open with a dancier track, THESE MILLION NIGHTS, which usually goes over well in our set, but this time, the Russians aren't having it. We start to play the heavier stuff and while they are attentive and appreciative in between songs, but the vibe is off. Unfortunately, this is the only time during the whole trip to Russia that I start to panic, especially when Flock of Douchebags is constantly trying to talk to Ash and the Kidd during the songs!! This idiot almost knocks over Ash's laptop repeatedly and decides he should be the sound guy! Of course the Kidd can't hear a thing and they won't listen to him when he asks for some volume, he's met with a puzzled look. Therefore, the Kidd does the only other thing he can do…drink vodka. The vibe is now like sour milk and honestly, I want off the stage. All I can remember thinking is "these people are going to kill us", especially when this big hairy metal dude keeps walking up to me and staring menacingly during every song!!<br /><br />I make the call to shorten the set from and hour to 25 minutes. In my mind, these kids just aren't having it and it's been a long trip and I just want out of this place. Ash is just furious and is screaming at FOD. It's no good. We play CROSS and with a furious crash, Ash throws down his guitar and the band is off and ready to leave this place. And of course, the crowd starts chanting for an encore, but we're already packed. Again, autographs. Weird. Of course metal dude comes right up to me and yapping away in Russian in my face. However, he knows one word of English…"bass". I'm the bassist and it turns out this dude is a bassist and he wanted to compare notes, not kill me! I give him a t-shirt and he starts crying and hugging me. Hilarious. He was a total pussycat after all.<br /><br />Drunk and tired, we head for the taxis downstairs. My favorite moment is matt placing a t-shirt on top of a kid who was passed out on the floor of the hotel lobby. Priceless! We then head back to the hotel and try to stay up for breakfast, but we all pass out.<br /><br />We wake up on our last full day in Russia to do all our souvenir shopping. Not very rock n roll. However, at an Internet café the Kidd meets a cute girl his age that basically forces herself to hang with him that evening, so he brings her along to our last big dinner at an (again) deserted Restaurant that Zaur has found for us called Milk. The end of the trip party consists of us, Zaur and his girl and this girl the Kidd picked up and its an awesome evening of friends celebrating a great trip and drinking weird shots that consisted of things like Vodka, Lime Juice and Tabasco in one shot and hot pepper in another. Needless to say, I almost didn't make it through those, but Zaur tells us its Russian tradition, so we can't say no. The evening ends on a high note, with everyone in good spirits and we all part as friends. Oh and I forgot to mention that, with the inadvertent help of G this Russian girl also forces her way into the kids hotel room (for the record, he never asked or wanted her to come back with him)…its more comical than romantic, I'll tell you that<br /><br />I wont bore you with the trip back because 9 hours and 45 minutes on a packed plane sucks, especially when the in flight movie is BEETHOVEN'S SECOND, starring Judge Reinhold. You would think they would give us the new Matrix for having to fly that long.<br /><br />Anyway, we're all back; we're all safe, happy and sound and all the better for our experience in Russia. We played one great gig and one really scary gig, but made a lot of friends and a few fans in the process. I have a strong feeling we'll end up back in St. Petersburg, hopefully for another gig (this time, with our missing drummer, the lovely Robin). I wish there was a scene report to be told, but simply, there isn't. There's a lot of music, some good, some bad, but its at least they are willing to listen and give something new a shot. They aren't spoiled yet and are hungry for new music. And we were happy to deliver and have an amazing experience in the process.<br /><br />Oh yeah, by the way, the war started the very next day and we had no clue it was actually about to happen. Our families and friends were quite happy we came back the day before. Later, I had this image of Bush saying to his people "are they back yet? Did they land? YES? Ok start the war tomorrow!" Thanks, G.W.<br /><br />But not even war can stop the aggression, I don't think, as discussions have begun about where to go next. We shall see, but if I had my say, Tokyo will see the aggression soon!F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-25999499348287500132007-01-01T10:25:00.000-08:002007-09-09T10:26:41.819-07:00FLOOD: THE MAKING OFINTRODUCTION:<br /><br />Like everything in the aggression, things happen in huge brief bursts and then nothing happens for some time. This was the case with the writing of "FLOOD". By reading interviews we did around the time of "PURE LIQUID EGO", you can see we already had the title of the album, the mixer of the album, the engineer of the album and the idea of what it would sound like long before it was written. For us, this is nothing unusual. However, we what we needed to do was what I feel we do best, write good songs.<br />I can't pinpoint when we started writing this record, but I know that some of the songs had been around (in varying degrees) since around the time of "PURE LIQUID EGO". So I'm thinking around 1998. There wasn't a conscious effort towards making a record. It just sort of happened gradually. In his weekly trips to MOGworld, the Kidd could often be found just programming little synth bits or creating drums loops. I would get lyrics from him via E-mail that I would save and compiled in a book of words written by he and I. Though we were all unaware of it at the time, the Kidd was laying the foundation for what was to become "FLOOD". Of course then he got in trouble, but that's for another time.<br /><br />It's really a group album, certainly the most "group" aggression album. Everyone has their fingerprints on. I think it's a very honest and real album. Everyone's hearts and souls went into it. The emotion is there. Hope you dig it as much as we do.<br /><br />-F.<br /><br />SONG BY SONG:<br /><br />LION'S DEN: I have to admit it, we have Kieran to thank for accidentally inspiring this song. In case it's not obvious, "LION'S DEN" is "KAMIZAZI.GOD" at a slower speed. Very late into the writing of the album, I was working on some synth parts for "KAMIZAZI" and I slowed the track down to play something in. While I was working, a bored Kieran started playing what is now the verse guitar melody. It was like the light bulb exploded in my head. Within a day, I had the song written and we decided to "bookend" the album with "LION'S" and "KAMIKAZI" (something we had done previously on our cassette album "DAMAGED"). The Kidd gave me the chorus idea with some lyrics he had written ("the pain is for fun"...etc.) and I went and added to them, thus helping me finish two songs at once. Ash does some nice work with the percussion in the breaks and Tom's chorus lead guitars and backing vocals are wonderful brush-strokes. We originally had planned to open the album with "THE MOTIVE" but when we heard this song, we just knew it was going to start the album off right.<br /><br />THE MOTIVE: I was quite hesitant about writing new songs without Mark and this was our one last attempt at writing with him during one of his brief stays back in NY. This led to two songs: one called "DEGENERATE CULTURE" and "THE MOTIVE". You can tell he and I did the structure of "MOTIVE" cause its pure "VISION THING"-Sisters. That's odd considering the Kidd, who I believe hates the sisters, did the bulk of the programming. Mark, who I don't recall ever touching a keyboard in the 5 years I worked with him, wrote that great string section. Mark and I played these new tunes for the Kidd and Tom, both of whom had showed up late as usual. They rejected "THE MOTIVE", but liked "CULTURE" cause that, according to Tom "was an aggression song"; not the "MOTIVE", which he and the Kidd deemed weak". If any of you meet Tom, tell him how much you like his awesome vocals on that "weak" song. He sings it more honestly than I think I could have. I'm very proud of that lead verse guitar, not only because it's the first lead guitar I ever wrote, but because despite having many takes of it from 3 different (and more talented) people, Tom and Ash actually kept my original take for the album. A lot of people think the lead is Tom, which to me, is a huge compliment. His chorus lead is his usual brilliant improv over the whole song and then we all pluck it the best stuff out and place it in the right spot. Ash added all those sweet little background synth bits to keep the song funky and electronic. The lyrics I wrote are REALLY trying to be ironic and if you pay attention, you'll see how certain lyrics poke fun at earlier aggression lyrics I had written.<br /><br />CHEMICAL SUN: Originally, this was my attempt at doing drum n bass without using sampled beats. My first take of the song had a very long intro that built into the song. I forget who cut it out, might have been the Kidd. Regardless, it was a smart move. The demo version made me think that this was going to be one of the weaker tracks on the record despite the fact that I was really pleased with the lyrics. Someone dared me to use the word "mofo" in a song and this is where I got away with it. When I got to Chicago to do the drum edits, I was blown away by not only what Ethan had played, but also how Jamie and Paris recorded him playing drums. It was a whole new song and I was literally jumping up and down when I heard it. I spent time at Crackhouse changing the last quarter of the song around to fit in almost everything Ethan had done. I took guitar parts out and re-did the ending of the song because there was so much cool material there. Easily, for me, the most pleasant surprise on the album.<br /><br />DEVIATIONS: This is where the 10 people who are familiar the first two aggression records turn around and say "what the hell is this"? This is one of the last songs written and the opening synth sample, created by Ash, triggered the whole evolution of the song. I was really inspired by the Depeche Mode B-Side "SEA OF SIN" which I thought was one of the sexiest songs ever written. I wanted the aggression to have a song people could make out to. Ash, though his usual wizardry, really made this song happen. He pushed me to get creative in the chorus by getting me to play that Gary Numan sounding bassline on a keyboard instead of going for a cliché heavy guitar thing. I would pick this as the first single, but its sort of misleading as to what the whole record is. However, it's my belief that if you make ANY song a single off this record, you're denying someone the full range of "FLOOD". Though not premeditated, I think this song fits in to what is popular with the industrial kids these days. This is the song we've been leaking to the people we know in the clubs and they're really into it. I have a great idea for a video for this song that would absolutely piss off the Electro fans.<br /><br />MY WHITE NOVA: I love this title. I took it from lyrics the Kidd had that we didn't use. I like the Kidd's lyrics cause they have this sort of literary moment in time feel to them and coincidentally were applicable to something I was going through. As I try to do on every album, I steal the Peter Hook bass sound for those leads in the beginning and bridges, though I used a guitar and not a bass this time. And what more needs to be said about Tom's amazing solo at the end. It blows me away EVERY time I hear it. This is the first of three songs on the album that underwent a huge editing/remixing session to get it to the final arrangement. Tom and I would email arrangements back and forth from our respective homes. The first version was cluttered, messy and chunky and we stripped tons out of it, including a heavy verse guitar. Ash edited together that great last bridge into the guitar solo. What I like most about this song is that it seems to cover all the different styles in the aggression in one song.<br /><br />ROOM 131: This is the other "What the hell is this? song. The basic verse programming had been around awhile. It was my latest attempt to be Vangelis. Tom heard it and said "this could make a good song" and we started playing around with it. It all came very easily until it came time to write a bridge and I remember spending countless hours on that damn bridge while Tom was locked in my bathroom writing the lyrics. Tom did the sax, and when I heard it, the song clicked. The other tough thing was the chorus bass guitar. Between Tom and I, there were probably 50 different basslines we tried before realizing the simplest version worked. The crazy drums at the end were Jamie's idea and in retrospect, I think it adds a cool "outta nowhere" vibe to the tune and makes a great segue into the next track. This one song I said to Jamie and Ethan "DON'T DO ANY DRUMS" and I was glad they didn't listen.<br /><br />END: The second of the three songs to go through major edits/remixes after everything was recorded for it. I had been spending time with Leo from Virus 23, and he agreed to do some loops for me. He spent a day doing about 40 loops for us to play with and the loop that would eventually drive this song really stood out while he was recording them. I wrote the guitar parts rather quickly, it was the first song I ever wrote entirely on a guitar and not a bass. But the arrangement was a wall of noise and too long. It was a mess. Tom had written this beautiful bass solo for the bridges and it was buried in mud. So, Tom and I spent an entire day and a half dedicated to making this song right. We stripped layers and layers off and edited it down to what it is now. It was sort of like when you go for an eye exam and they keep trying different lenses till you get the sharpest focus. That's Tom doing those evil whisper vocals, which I love. This was also my first stab at writing lyrics that were more optimistic and defiant than the usual stuff.<br /><br />SLEAZY JOHN: This is all the Kidd. He had been playing that arrangement for a year during soundchecks and rehearsals. I just found it in the computer one day. I brought him in and we gave it some structure and I added some atmosphere via the strings. I think originally, the Kidd saw this as the start of a much bigger song, but honestly, this fits perfectly on the album and it's something I personally mark out for and aspire to do. It's a great set up to begin what I consider to be the "third act" of Flood. I hope we get to use this song as intro music when we play.<br /><br />THESE MILLION NIGHTS: Easily my favorite song on the album. Also, the most debated. It's long. It's maybe self-indulgent, but it's also very romantic and very trancy It's the song on the album to lose yourself in. This is another song I started around a loop from Ash. We all worked on the song and I took it home to flesh out the arrangement we had started. Somewhere in there, I added or extended that really long keyboard solo. I brought the song back, with the lyrics. The guys said "too long, edit it" I refused. "Lose a verse". I refused. The one thing I agreed to was to do that synth bridge before the last chorus, which they were right to suggest as it was originally another chorus and that would have been repetitious. Then, Tom took the vocal arrangement I had written for the chorus and condensed it, which made sense as it was kinda long winded the way I written it. He's very good like that; he understands pacing. The choruses have more punch. I played the album demos to a bunch of friends and they all went crazy for it, which took us by surprise. When we finished the record, the guys all agreed it was a good track for the record. I think in the context of the full album, the song works great. I hope we try this live eventually.<br /><br />KAMIKAZI.GOD: Probably the song closest to our previous stuff. I can't recall when this was written; it might have been around awhile. The three things I remember doing on that song were when Tom, Ash and I re-wrote the verses, which is when the song really came to life, when Tom did those spacey bridge guitars (still can't figure out how he did that), and when Mark came in and played that intro and closing guitar solo. But the song was still very very long. We were playing some tracks for the Kidd, who was visiting from Boston, and the only song he had issues with was this one. Ash and I said to him "we're going to play Nintendo Dodge Ball, you've got a half hour to do whatever you want to the song". The Kidd went right to work and the song you hear now, the third song to go through a big overhaul, is the result of the Kidd working for that half-hour. This song's really grown on me, especially after the great reaction we got for it from our UK friends.<br /><br />DREAMS TO DEATH: Of the stuff we had lying around, this was the last song I actually expected to make it to the album. I presented a very early version to the guys and they all rejected it. A year later, I changed all the sounds, shortened it a bit and re-presented it as a new song. They all liked it! Sweet revenge! This was a tough song to record. Tons of stuff written for it was removed as we kept going. I had a beautiful verse guitar lead that got canned cause it was clashing with the vocals. I also had probably three more string arrangements, which was WAY too indulgent. It was a good song, until Tom, on his own, did his vocals and the whole acoustic guitar section at the end, which, to me, is when it became a great song. I love Ethan's drumming in this song, especially in the chorus. Like "THE MOTIVE" this is a song that just made more sense with Tom singing. Tom and Ash bled me dry for that backing vocal on the chorus. The only true disagreement during the entire recording of the album was how to end this song. Tom had a 15-second shorter ending in mind while I had a string arranged finish. I caved in and changed it and really made a big stink about it because I felt the sweet drama of that arrangement was cut at the knees. Every time we listened to the end of the album I would make a snide comment to Tom like "Congratulations, you ruined this whole album". 95% of the changes I agreed to on the album made sense to me, even if didn't like it, but this one point really made me lose sleep. On our final demo listen before sending everything in for mixing, Tom's dad entered the room and said to us "You know, I really liked the longer ending much better". Tom, Ash, and I looked at each other, went back and re-inserted the original longer ending, thus making me very very happy. So, if I didn't say it before, thanks for saving the album, Ed!!F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-34548626074800106822006-11-01T20:50:00.000-08:002007-11-01T20:51:45.745-07:00Flood Era BioThe Aggression <br /> F.J. DeSanto (Vocals, Bass, Programming) <br /> Michael "The Kidd" Hess (Keyboards, Programming) <br /> Mike "Ash" Venezia (Programming, Guitars, Keyboards) <br /> Thomas Whitfleet (Vocals, Guitars) <br /> Robin Emmet (Drums)<br /><br /><br />When we last left NYC's most notorious machine rockers, they were at the tail end of a successful series of shows across the Northeast supporting their 1998 CMJ charting remix album, Pure Liquid Ego. A packed, utterly chaotic release party at the Bank in Manhattan featured blistering live versions of new tracks like "Missionary Man," as well as reworked favorites like "Cross," followed by a show at New York's now-legendary Coney Island High. The shows were well received, and critics raved about Ego and the 1997 debut, Whitelineoverride, with Outburn proclaiming they "…definitely look forward to hearing more from this band."<br /><br />Years earlier, when word broke about the band's attitude-driven industrial anthems and the scathing live shows, they ran off to Chicago to work with such luminaries as Van Christie (Die Warzau), Chris Randall (SMG) and Jason McNinch (Pigface, Lick) at Warzone Recorders, leading to the startling '97 debut album, Whitelineoverride, released on Tinman.<br /><br />In 1998 the band released the remix EP Pure Liquid Ego, which featured mixes from 16Volt, Crocodile Shop, Android Lust, and many others, including Mission U.K. frontman Wayne Hussey. Ego also contained four new songs - the product of a collaboration with legendary producer George Hagegorge (Urania and Under The Noise). Outburn called the album, "hard, heavy, and aggressive," and said, "This New York industrial rock band has a crossover sound that is headed in the right direction."<br /><br />Despite the band's growing success, bust-ups, rows, M.I.A. members, and other assorted melodramas threatened to split The Aggression in half. Guitarist Mark Mohtashemi exiled himself to Los Angeles, while keyboardist Michael Hess found himself in trouble with the law in Boston, leaving original members F.J. DeSanto and Tom Whitfleet to appease both listeners and critics, while struggling to satisfy their greatest fans: themselves.<br /><br />With the return of both estranged programmer/co-producer Mike "Ash" Venezia and keyboardist/co-writer Michael "The Kidd" Hess, DeSanto and Whitfleet decided to confront the myth of The Aggression head on by doing what the band has always been known for: great songwriting.<br /><br />Having felt they had "perfected the formula," The Aggression moved away from what The Industrial Bible called "the destructive coldwave turmoil" of Whiteline and Ego and focused more on the sonic and melodic highs of the developing songs. Suddenly, an epic of Euclidian porportions began to emerge: the sophomore release on Tinman, Flood.<br /><br />Larger in scope than their previous efforts, The Aggression branch out into fresh territory with a newfound depth and maturity. The presence of electronics plays yin to the yang of the pop structures, while DeSanto and Whitfleet's vocals retain the passion and pathos of albums past. With Flood, The Aggression have effectively washed away listeners' preconceptions and started anew.<br /><br />With the recent addition of Robin Emmet on live drums (as the very first Aggression drummer, no less), Flood has taken on a new dimension as the band prepares to retake the stage. Dancefloor ragers like "Deviations" now resonate with the thud of a live kick drum, while epics like "The Motive" explode off the stage with unbridled fury. The Aggression of 2002 have a grip on melody, structure, and subtlety worthy of pop veterans. But when it comes to raw power, this band certainly hasn't forgotten its namesake.F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-45084629266144110582006-10-31T12:13:00.000-08:002008-12-10T15:56:38.688-08:00Found In The Gentile Archives<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfpZ9MQ4xD1eOy123Qwf4X7_MhHdblfQTf96cBQNIdpkXU41SoYN3iRJXtGRpESSmmWrPWjiR2u4ST4ICV-A2zgoqMo0DSvreHIPKrOAJ_52DqXRpItTNd5WfEF7aAcbuUiw_skkkAwk/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfpZ9MQ4xD1eOy123Qwf4X7_MhHdblfQTf96cBQNIdpkXU41SoYN3iRJXtGRpESSmmWrPWjiR2u4ST4ICV-A2zgoqMo0DSvreHIPKrOAJ_52DqXRpItTNd5WfEF7aAcbuUiw_skkkAwk/s320/2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123870305813315346" /></a>F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-28833606111987102052006-03-31T21:50:00.000-08:002007-10-29T21:55:30.953-07:00Interview circa 1997I distinctly remember doing this interview at Gold Street....it wasnt nearly as fun as it reads!<br /><br /><br />THE___aggression ___!<br /><br />Cast of Characters:<br /><br />F.J. DeSanto- lead ego-maniac: in charge of all offensive manuevers, including drunken abandon, over-active but seldom assuaged libido, and general a$$holism. Vocals, programming and bass guitar<br /><br />Mark Mohtashemi-(in absentia) The one member of the band who had the sense to be as far removed from the others as possible during this interview. Guitars, programming.<br /><br />Tom Whitfleet-hardcore-rooted, nice-guy. Perhaps the most gracious hoodlum of the bunch, but that's not much of a challenge. Guitars, programming.<br /><br />Mike "The Kid" Hess-Child, and new-comer to the band, immediately acclaimating himself to rampant alcoholism & wanton behavior. Keyboards.<br /><br />The Aggression is a NYC guitar-heavy, aggro-industrial band with a recent debut CD, Whitelineoverride, out on the Tinman label. The album is quite an impressive release; the bulk of it was recorded at Warzone, & members of Sister Machine Gun, Die Warzau. Acumen, Lick, & Pigface contributed to its production &/or performance. The band has currently just returned from George Hagegeorge's Track-in-the-Box studios in Baltimore, where they recorded four new songs to appear on their follow-up remix album, Pure Liquid Ego. This up-coming remix album is also slated for release on the Tinman label.<br /><br />sVIXn: How are you enjoying your debut release?<br /><br />F.J.: I think Tinman's screwing us out of tons of money. I want a royalty check. I think we have thousands in royalties coming & we're getting f***ed! Seriously, though, our only problem with our label now, is that you can't walk into a Tower Records & find our stuff. I'm looking at you now as an interviewer, rather than a defender of the Tinman Empire.<br /><br />sVIXn: I know nothing about it. I will mention to the appropriate person that maybe TINMAN should look into putting your album in stores. Perhaps it was never considered.<br /><br />F.J.: Oh, c'mon. We don't know about how to do that. That's why we let them do it. That's why I send them three-page faxes...<br /><br />Mike: It's gotta be a b!+ch to do.<br /><br />F.J.: We can't even get together to do publishing or something like that. God forbid we'd have to put a disc out on our own! The only thing I'm complaining about is that it's not in stores. It's really slow. What bothers me is: I got the disc, I'm happy, I can play it; but so-&-so in Ohio, who sees me online all the time can't find it in his neighborhood record store I sent the kids a coupla free CDs, ya know, if I had my way, I'd give everyone I met a CD, but you can't, ya know what I mean? I want to see somebody buy it, I mean somebody who I haven't gone up to & been like, "Hi, I'm Frank..," ya know. Hopefully people will buy it, once they can find it. How many kids make an effort to order it, ya know what I mean? That's the point, we want it to be in the Tower. I don't care if nobody buys it. In the studio, we work. It was good to work with George [Hagegeorge] on the new record. We like the songs. The new record's gonna be the four songs I just played for you, in order. Then there's a gap. There's gonna be a bunch of remixes, all edited together, like one long DJ-mix. Mick [Hale]'s already done one for "Arena." We did one: "Disposable Memories." Acumen's doing one, BM Box is doing two, Cydonia's doing one, Howard/Terminal Sect's supposed to do one - - and right there, that's like a lot. Oh yeah, and our old keyboardist who we fired...<br /><br />Tom: He now spins for raves.<br /><br />F.J.: Yeah, he's techno. He's really good. He's gonna do one. You know, right there, you have a lot. We'll see what happens. We might have Van from Die Warzau do one, if our label gives us money. And that's the record right there. As much as we can squeeze on the disc, we will - - 'cause it's gonna be like a lower price: $9.99. I wouldn't've had a problem if it was just those four new songs, and it was just six or seven bucks. Plus it's fun for us to hear what people are gonna do to our songs.<br /><br />sVIXn: Nice list of names you've got there.<br /><br />F.J.: It's just all friend-crap. You know [In a mock conversation with an imaginary friend],"You wanna do this?" - - "Uh, yeah" [the response], and hopefully we can return the favor and do remixes for other people, if we actually have equipment.<br /><br />sVIXn: What is The Aggression mindset?<br /><br />F.J.: The Aggression is just a big soap opera on steroids, that's all it is.<br /><br />Mike: Did you say "Soap Opera on Steroids"? Is that like a movie?<br /><br />F.J.: No, I made that up. Just now. It's all about stories & waking up the next day & going "What the hell is that?"<br /><br />Tom: "Damn, whose underwear is on the floor?"<br /><br />F.J.: Yeah. We've lived a lot of Rock-n-Roll cliches. We do the hotel-trashing...We do other things together besides be in a band. That's why it's hard for us to get a fourth person, now to play guitar. Ya know, 'cause that person's gonna have to like, deal with the social aspect of this band...<br /><br />Mike: It's like getting a new girlfriend.<br /><br />F.J.: Exactly, there's a language...We have this entourage of friends called "The Idiots' Convention." It includes the four of us, [as well as others].....we went down to DC & the hotel room was utterly obliterated. Ya know, there was these underwear. It was like, "What's this?" "Not mine," "Not mine," & on down the line. We left it there, ya know, & it's been a running joke ever since.<br /><br /> <br /><br />(F.J. takes the floor & begins interviewing Mike.)<br /><br />F.J.: [To Mike:] How are you handling your new sex-symbol status? [Back to the audience:] Ever since "The Kid" has become famous, he has picked up extreme womanizing ways,...<br /><br />Mike: I'm not a womanizer! I've got too much class!<br /><br />F.J.: Yeah, "I've-got-too-much-class-to-be-a-womanizer!" I have to admit that the whole being-in-a-band-to-get-chicks thing is really not working out for us right now. Actually, the online-getting-chicks thing works out much better for me than being in a band. That's the other reason why we have to get the disc in stores! But there's no CD in the store, ya know. We're not getting enough chicks.<br /><br />Tom: Enough? We're not getting any!<br /><br />F.J.: Well, not you.<br /><br />Tom: Exactly. Part of the problem is that we do actually play out & people see us. & putting pictures in the disc...big mistake!<br /><br />F.J.: Yeah, we may not play out again ever. To enshroud us, as the goths would say, in a veil of mystery would increase our appeal. Another option would be to tell people that Mark is dead. One of the reasons that "The Kid" is in the band, he's seventeen, is so that the older members of the band, like myself, can meet all these nice seventeen-year-old girls that he knows.<br /><br />Tom: That doesn't seem to be working out either, though.<br /><br />Mike: 'Cause I like them too much!<br /><br />F.J.: I like little girls, but you don't have any hot friends!<br /><br /> <br /><br />The Aggression can be found stumbling like droogies through the streets of NY, or at their website (http://members.aol.com/mogproduct). Their performances inside NYC are notably abusive, while they maintain a modicom of professionalism outside city limits. Nevertheless, it's a show not to be missed: with chunky guitars, angst-ridden lyrics, & infectious melodies, The Aggression gets in your face & won't go away.F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-53480621291619538782006-03-29T21:57:00.000-08:002007-10-29T21:59:13.133-07:00PLE Era BioIn a drunken stupor at a party back in the day, F.J. DeSanto beat the hell out of Mark Mohtashemi for no reason other than that he thought Mark was a moron. Mind you, had Mark been sober, he probably could've killed him, but F.J. had something to ask him. It was IMPORTANT; Mark had a guitar for chrissakes and he knew how to chunk with it. So F.J. grabbed him by the lapels, looked into his eyes and said, "Hey...you wanna be in a band?" This is where we add in the cliche, "the rest is history."<br /><br />When Mark agreed, The Aggression was born. Armed with Sisters of Mercy and Ministry records along with two other guys, Dr. Fury and T. Duke, they embarked on a very brief yet "memorable" musical journey that was quickly extinguished after one show and a poorly recorded demo that subsequently led to the departure of the infamous "other two." That should have been the end of it. But of course, Mark and F.J. being gluttons for punishment, decided the Aggression wasn't quite done yet and that they still had something to say in the industrial world. So they wrote some songs, played in other bands, schmoozed with the scene, and drank a whole lot of liquor. But the boys needed a band...<br /><br />Also listening to Ministry records along with anything else heavy was Tom Whitfleet, a mainstay from F.J.'s little league days. Though he didn't get a beating, Tom was quickly in, guitar in hand, and ready to play. He introduced Mark and F.J. to a keyboardist named Ash (who eventually was "fired" after two years), and the four of them went out and played some shows. And it was cool, so they wrote even more songs, and they played more shows. <br /><br />The boys went out and met some people: some famous, some not, and somehow ended up at the Warzone in Chicago with people like Jason McNinch and Van Christie. Ash disappeared at this point, but Tom, Mark, and F.J. recorded some songs and gave them to anyone who'd listen. And then some labels were suddenly interested. Then they started doing the business, which sucks, so they recorded a little more. And of course they wanted to play live again, but they needed a man on the keys...<br /><br />F.J. doesn't remember exactly how it happened, but he and "The Kid" (Michael Hess) were hanging around one day contemplating life and the genius of Gavin Friday, when "The Kid" revealed to F.J. that he was taking piano lessons in order to become the Aggression's keyboardist. F.J. gave him a tape, told him to learn the chords, and "The Kid" jammed with the band and played pretty damn well. He ain't old enough to drink, and he doesn't dig Ministry, but he sure can pound the keys and trigger samples. So, without thinking too much about it, "The Kid" is in and they go drink a lot, play shows, and decide to finish the record (which is now called "Whitelineoverride") in New York. That summer, "Whitelineoverride" hit stores, so the band went out and played more shows, and drank even more heavy booze (especially "The Kid").<br /><br />However, the boys were frustrated; "Whitelineoverride" was already old news, and the band needed a shot of adrenalin in its musical veins. So in the fall of 1997, the band went down to hang out at Track In The Box Studios in Maryland, and ended up cutting some new songs with producer George Hagegeorge at the helm. These new songs were brutal, and the band really liked 'em, so they decided to call up all their best friends and ask for free remixes of these and other Aggression songs.<br /><br />So after many months of drinking and faxing and calling, the band finally pulled together all the material that they had, and "Pure Liquid Ego" was born. Slated for a fall 1998 release, "Pure Liquid Ego" marked the end of the first chapter of The Aggression's existence.<br /><br />So this is the Aggression's web page, where you can learn about them and their music. And if all goes right and they don't end up breaking up and/or killing each other, this should keep you up to date on what's going on with shows, releases, and the like. Hell, if you want you'll be able to send love letters and/or hate mail/death threats. Love 'em, hate 'em, whatever, they ain't going anywhere. No matter where the crew goes, there will always be an interesting story to be told. Stay tuned... all will be revealed.F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-68179991321476580192005-11-01T20:43:00.000-08:002007-11-01T20:44:20.784-07:00Original Website FAQThe Aggression<br /><br />Frequently Asked Questions File - Version 2.0<br /><br />I. TABLE OF CONTENTS<br />A. General Questions<br />A1-0. What is The Aggression?<br />A2-0. How did The Aggression decide upon their name?<br />A3-0. Chronology And Personnel<br />A3-1. When and where was The Aggression formed?<br />A3-2. Who was in the band then?<br />A3-3. Who is in the band now?<br />A4-0. What other projects have members of The Aggression been involved in?<br />A5-0. The Aggression Live<br />A5-1. Who has The Aggression played with?<br />A5-2. What can one expect when seeing The Aggression live?<br />A6-0. The AggressioNet<br />A6-1. Is The Aggression on the internet?<br />A6-2. Does The Aggression have a website?<br />A6-3. How can one subscribe to The Aggression e-mail list?<br />A7-0. I want Aggression swag! Where can I get it?<br />A8-0. What equipment do the members of The Aggression use in the studio and live?<br /><br />B. Musical Questions<br />B1-0. The First Album<br />B1-1. What is the title of the first album?<br />B1-2. What songs are on the first album?<br />B1-3. Who produced the first album?<br />B1-4. Who released the first album?<br />B1-5. Who appeared on the first album?<br />B1-6. What is "The Chicago Drinking Song?"<br />B2-0. The Second Album<br />B2-1. What is the title of the second album?<br />B2-2. What songs are on the second album?<br />B2-3. Who produced the second album?<br />B2-4. Who released the second album?<br />B2-5. Did any mixes recorded for the second album not make it to the final version?<br />B3-0. What is "Altamont"?<br />B4-0. What is "Damaged" a.k.a. "The Red Tape"?<br />B5-0. Where can I get more information about The Aggression's independent recorded output?<br /><br />C. Miscellaneous Queries<br />C1-0. Where the hell is Mark these days?<br />C2-0. Why the hell does Mark like tour buses so much?<br />C3-0. Why and how the hell does Tom know everyone?<br />C4-0. What the hell does "F.J." stand for?<br />C5-0. Just how the hell old is "The Kid"?<br />C6-0. Who the hell is "G"?<br />C7-0. How the hell does one classify The Aggression musically?<br />C8-0. Why the hell must everyone have a nickname?<br />C9-0. What the hell were you three idiots doing on stage with HEll3Ent in Washington, D.C.?<br />C0-0. Why must every question in this section include the word "hell"?<br /><br />D. The Fine Print<br />D1-0. Who wrote this document?<br />D2-0. Who helped write this document?<br />D3-0. Where does the information in this document come from?<br />D4-0. Where can I get the latest version of this document?<br /><br /><br />II. THE SUBSTANCE<br />A. General Questions<br />A1-0. What is The Aggression?<br /><br />The Aggression is a group of guitar wielding, synth programming, drummer shunning, alcohol abusing rock stars from New York and Los Angeles.<br /><br />A2-0. How did The Aggression decide upon their name?<br /><br />The original band name, The Pirates Of The Aggression, was taken from an interview with Ministry leader Al Jourgensen. When Mark Mohtashemi joined the band, he forced them to shorten it to simply The Aggression after declaring how stupid the old name was. When asked in a recent interview if he named the band, F.J. DeSanto responded, "I did, but honestly, I wasn't really thinking when I named the band. I think if the current lineup was the original incarnation of the band, the name would be different. But what can you do..."<br /><br />A3-0. Chronology And Personnel<br />A3-1. When and where was The Aggression formed?<br /><br />It varies depending on who you ask, but from the band's standpoint (and the legal standpoint), it began when F.J. DeSanto met Mark Mohtashemi in New York City in 1992. There are also some bizarre little league connections between Tom Whitfleet and F.J. DeSanto, and it is rumored that each band member at one time babysat Michael "The Kid" Hess.<br /><br />A3-2. Who was in the band then?<br /><br />Originally the band was a four piece consisting of F.J. DeSanto on vocals/bass, Mark Mohtashemi on guitar, a mysterious man named Dr. Michael Fury on vocals, and the legendary T.W. Duke on keyboards, as well as the occasional Jagger-esque vocal. At one point, a guy named Mike "Ash" Venezia played keyboards as well.<br /><br />A3-3. Who is in the band now?<br /><br />The band is now a four piece consisting of F.J. DeSanto (occasionally referred to as Hype Factor) on vocals/bass/programming, Mark Mohtashemi (often referred to as Phingers or PH7) on guitar/vocals, Tom Whitfleet (rarely called Whit) on guitars/bass/programming/vocals, and the very young Michael Hess ("The Kid") on keyboards and programming. Live and studio engineer Kieran Pardias also fills in on live guitar when Mark is out on the west coast practicing law.<br /><br />A4-0. What other projects have members of The Aggression been involved in?<br /><br />Mark's pre-Aggression band was a power metal outfit called Universal Discourse in which he was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist. Mark also made an appearance on some material by F-11, T.W. Duke's post-Aggression band. Mark dabbles in many different styles of music, and is quite skilled with a good acoustic. He recently produced a demo for his brother Kevin's band Velcro, who are surprisingly not in the least bit industrial.<br /><br />Tom originally fronted a band called Amess, which later became Special Agent Gumby, playing an eclectic assortment of styles ranging from punk to goth to industrial. F.J.'s first band was called M.O.G., which stood for "Memory Of Doug" (we know it doesn't fit, so don't ask!) M.O.G. is what would eventually morph into the first incarnation of The Aggression. F.J. also played bass and sang back up vocals with Universal Discourse, but only when inebriated, and co-produced the unreleased F-11 album "Life In Airports." In 1995, The Aggression rejoined with T.W. Duke and Dr. Michael Fury to form The Albrecht Go's, an improvisational/experimental pop band.<br /><br />A5-0. The Aggression Live<br />A5-1. Who has The Aggression played with?<br /><br />The Aggression have played with artists from across the electronic/industrial spectrum, including Acumen Nation (formerly Acumen - Conscience Records), November 17 (N-17 - Slipdisc Records), The Clay People (Slipdisc Records), Sister Machine Gun (Wax Trax!/TVT Records), Chris Analogue (Re-Constriction Records), Android Lust (Tinman Records), Crocodile Shop (Metropolis Records), Uranium 235, Piece Machine, Mindsett, and many others who we've probably forgotten.<br /><br />A5-2. What can one expect when seeing The Aggression live?<br /><br />An ego-fueled, unpredictable rock and roll cyber circus of death on the good nights, and an idiot convention on the bad.<br /><br />A6-0. The AggressioNet<br />A6-1. Is The Aggression on the internet?<br /><br />Damn straight. F.J. DeSanto handles the bulk of the band's internet communications, and can be reached by e-mailing mogworld@aol.com. Mark Mohtashemi can be reached at ph7mog@aol.com, and if you really want to stalk the band, Michael "The Kid" Hess can be reached at atilla23@aol.com.<br /><br />Sometimes the members will occasionally pop up on rec.music.industrial, but since that group is frequented by closed-minded fucks (are you listening Zach?), they tend to avoid posting.<br /><br />A6-2. Does The Aggression have a website?<br /><br />Indeed! M.O.G. Productions Online was designed by and is maintained by Brandt Gassman of Generic Productions - Chicago. M.O.G. Productions Online is located at:<br /><br />http://members.aol.com/mogworld/<br /><br />The original page design was courtesy of Brandt Gassman/John Nagrodski. You can find Generic Productions - Chicago online at http://www.generic-productions.net/<br /><br />A6-3. How can one subscribe to The Aggression e-mail list?<br /><br />Send an e-mail to mogworld@aol.com with the subject "Subscribe."<br /><br />A7-0. I want Aggression swag! Where can I get it?<br /><br />All Aggression music and merchandise is available through Tinman Records. Tinman Records can be contacted at:<br /><br />TINMAN RECORDS<br />Post Office Box 1114<br />New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903-1114<br /><br />1.732.846.2667 (TINMAN7)<br /><br />tinmanaux@aol.com<br />http://members.aol.com/tinmanaux/<br /><br />To purchase Aggression merchandise, pricing and ordering information is available on both M.O.G. Productions Online and Tinman Records Online. For any other questions regarding merchandising, please contact mogworld@aol.com.<br /><br />A8-0. What equipment do the members of The Aggression use in the studio and live?<br /><br />In the studio, the band uses anything and anyone lying around the studio to record. If it's located in the studio, The Aggression has used it.<br /><br />F.J. DeSanto plays a black Gibson Thunderbird bass through Crate amplifiers. For programming, he uses the Kurzweil K-2000S and Cubase by Steinberg, along with some Yamaha and Kwai synth modules.<br /><br />Mark Mohtashemi plays a Gibson SG through a Marshall stack and, when feeling saucy, uses a Korg FX rack.<br /><br />Tom Whitfleet plays a Gibson Epiphone through Marshall stacks as well. He is also using an FX rack of unknown origin, but of low price.<br /><br />Michael "The Kid" Hess uses Alesis and Kurzweil keyboards, and also uses Cubase for programming (right on!) However, he recently purchased the latest edition of Cakewalk, so it's time to learn something new.<br /><br /><br />B. Musical Questions<br />B1-0. The First Album<br />B1-1. What is the title of the first album?<br /><br />The first album is entitled "Whitelineoverride."<br /><br />B1-2. What songs are on the first album?<br /><br />1.01. Arena85 (The Aggression)<br />1.02. Disposable Memories (The Aggression)<br />1.03. Airily (The Aggression)<br />1.04. The End Of Everything (The Aggression)<br />1.05. Disheveled Star (The Aggression)<br />1.06. Cockdiesel (The Aggression)<br />1.07. Gemini Sky (The Aggression)<br />1.08. Gateway (To The Inevitable) (The Aggression/Mike Venezia)<br />1.09. Devil's Crossing (The Aggression)<br />1.10. Permanent (The Aggression)<br /><br />B1-3. Who produced the first album?<br /><br />The first album was produced by The Aggression and the ever complimentary Chris Randall of Sister Machine Gun.<br /><br />B1-4. Who released the first album?<br /><br />The first album was released by Tinman Records in the United States, Out Of Line Records in Europe, and is distributed through Metropolis Distribution in the United States.<br /><br />B1-5. Who appeared on the first album?<br /><br />The first album included guest appearances from Jamie Duffy (Acumen Nation/DJ? Acucrack), Jason McNinch (Lick/Pigface/Mescaline), Jason Novak (Acumen Nation/DJ? Acucrack), and others.<br /><br />B1-6. What is "The Chicago Drinking Song?"<br /><br />If you really want to know, let's see how smart you are first.<br /><br />B2-0. The Second Album<br />B2-1. What is the title of the second album?<br /><br />The second album, actually a compilation of four new songs and many remixes, is entitled "Pure Liquid Ego."<br /><br />B2-2. What songs are on the second album?<br /><br />2.01. Missionary Man (The Aggression)<br />2.02. Beautiful Losers (The Aggression)<br />2.03. Hey! (The Aggression/Ehren Kruger/Chris Link/Matt Gentile/Dan Hamill)<br />2.04. Cross '97 (The Aggression/Ehren Kruger/Chris Link)<br />2.05. Permanent (Pigs Blood Blues Mix) - Wayne Hussey<br />2.06. Airily (Asphyxia) - Cydonia(asphyxia) - Cydonia<br />2.07. Arena85 (Galaga Mix) - Murder.dk<br />2.08. The Disposable Remix - Jason McNinch/The Aggression<br />2.09. Disheveled Star (Rebirth) - Android Lust<br />2.10. Missionary Man (Smart Fist Mix) - Salvo<br />2.11. Hey! (Redemption) - I, Parasite<br />2.12. Airily (Cocaine You Mix) - The Fourth Level<br />2.13. The Cross (Stripped) - Eric Powell/16Volt<br />2.14. Arena85 (98-Revelation Mix) - Crocodile Shop<br />2.15. Beautiful Losers (Eyeamgodmix) - eyeamgod<br />2.16. Cross (El Flaco Mix) - Gromet<br /><br />B2-3. Who produced the second album?<br /><br />The second album was produced by the wildly talented George Hagegeorge of Under The Noise/Urania. <br />B2-4. Who released the second album?<br /><br />The second album was released by Tinman Records in the United States, and is distributed through Metropolis Distribution in the United States.<br /><br />B2-5. Did any mixes recorded for the second album not make it to the final version?<br /><br />Yes, due to space constraints, there were a handful of remixes submitted that did not make it to the final master of "Pure Liquid Ego." George Hagegeorge did a great dub mix of "Hey!," and Murder.dk did several different remixes of "Arena85." Tom, "The Kid," and F.J. also teamed up with former bandmate Chris Link to record an ambient mix of "Gemini Sky," and the trio later paired up with the other former bandmate Mike "Ash" Venezia to do a remix of "Cockdiesel," which the boys now play live. Marc Heal of Cubanate is also in the process of remixing "Missionary Man" for a possible single release, and Chris Kelly and Leo Canetto of Gromet will be remixing another Aggression song for an upcoming compilation appearances. All of these unreleased remixes will see the light of day in the near future.<br /><br />B3-0. What is "Altamont"?<br /><br />"Altamont" was the first release by what is considered the original Aggression lineup, with Mark Mohtashemi having joined the band halfway through the sessions. The cassette featured early versions of recently released songs including "Cross" and "Low And Slow," which the band is in the process of rerecording.<br /><br />B4-0. What is "Damaged" a.k.a. "The Red Tape"?<br /><br />"Damaged" was a limited edition cassette release by the band, recorded in 1992 before Tom Whitfleet had joined. "Damaged" is known to many as "The Red Tape" due to the fact that it was pressed on cool, blood red cassettes. Strangely, the band now refuses to play material from the "Damaged" era.<br /><br />B5-0. Where can I get more information about the band's independent recorded output?<br /><br />See "Submerged Truth: The Aggression's Independent Recorded Output," located in the "AUDIO.MOG" section of the band's webpage. However, please keep in mind that none of the releases from this period are available for sale or trade, so don't ask.<br /><br /><br />C. Miscellaneous Queries<br />C1-0. Where the hell is Mark these days?<br /><br />Mark is off studying law in the bustling metropolis of Los Angeles, California. However, he flies back to the Big Apple frequently to work on new material with the band.<br /><br />C2-0. Why the hell does Mark like tour buses so much?<br /><br />To him, the tour bus is the epitomization of the rock n' roll lifestyle. Like F.J. and tour laminates.<br /><br />C3-0. Why and how the hell does Tom know everyone?<br /><br />Before Tom Whitfleet was famous for being a member of The Aggression, he was famous for just being Tom. Why and how, nobody knows, but the band has never been anywhere in the continental United States without running into somebody Tom knows. This mysterious phenomenon occurred recently in both Chicago and Brooklyn.<br /><br />C4-0. What the hell does "F.J." stand for?<br /><br />Frank Jeffery, which was shortened to "F.J." by his parents while he was still an infant. It does not stand for "Funky Jehovah."<br /><br />C5-0. Just how the hell old is "The Kid"?<br /><br />We can't tell you because we might get banned from certain clubs!<br /><br />C6-0. Who the hell is "G"?<br /><br />"G" is F.J.'s childhood friend and roommate Dan Hamill, a.k.a Gutterball Vinnie, who spends so much time with the band willingly you would think he was either in the band, or in serious need of a psychiatric evaluation.<br /><br />C7-0. How the hell does one classify The Aggression musically?<br /><br />We haven't found a way, so don't even try. The Aggression isn't just a band; it is a way of life.<br /><br />C8-0. Why the hell must everyone have a nickname?<br /><br />Otherwise, we would forget everybody's name while in a drunken stupor.<br /><br />C9-0. What the hell were you three idiots doing on stage with HEll3Ent in Washington, D.C.?<br /><br />In the words of F.J. DeSanto: "OK, so we're piss drunk at a Chemlab show in D.C., and Chemlab decides to do some HEll3Ent material with the members of 16Volt and Haloblack. Someone, it could have been Marc La Corte, said "get onstage and do something," so Mark, myself, and our loyal pal Harbour did. Since there were no microphones left to use, we just danced like morons with beer in our hands. Tom came onstage as well, and in a blinding moment of sanity, said "This is stupid!" and went back to the dressing rooms. Greg Lopez of Acumen Nation compared this incident to those three disco guys from Saturday Night Live.<br /><br />C0-0. Why must every question in this section include the word "hell"?<br /><br />Why the hell do you care you jagoff?<br /><br /><br />D. The Fine Print<br />D1-0. Who wrote this document?<br /><br />This document was created by Big Daddy Hype himself F.J. DeSanto, and was developed by Brandt fucking Gassman of Generic Productions - Chicago.<br /><br />D2-0. Who helped write this document?<br /><br />Most importantly, Christine "DA-BOMB!" Bomski helped by writing the Acumen Nation F.A.Q., which F.J. then copied and made into his own. In addition, Jason "Pinky" Novak helped by making F.J. realize that there should be a sense of humor to this thing.<br /><br />D3-0. Where does the information in this document come from?<br /><br />In the words of F.J. DeSanto: "My head, and from what I have been told the morning after by various people."<br /><br />D4-0. Where can I get the latest version of this document?<br /><br />"The Aggression: Frequently Asked Questions File Version 2.0" can by obtained via e-mail from F.J. DeSanto (mogproduct@aol.com), via the internet from M.O.G. Productions Online (http://members.aol.com/mogworld/), or via newsgroups when it is posted to rec.music.industrial. Beautiful women can also obtain the latest version of this document from F.J.'s pants.<br /><br /><br />Two words: "Suck it!" \ /F.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3085210855218221259.post-47609163622607162432004-11-14T09:03:00.000-08:002007-11-14T09:04:31.734-08:00Ehren Kruger speaks on his time in the aggressionFury says:<br /><br />No matter what I yet accomplish in life, I will never be prouder of anything than the fact that – at the close of the last century, when anything was possible – massive hordes of disillusioned American youth once paid to hear me sing. And they paid even more to hear me stop, the bastards. That was my genius.<br /><br />PS. I know Factor’s secret and you know who else knows it? A 462-page document inside a bulletproof safe at my lawyer’s office so BACK OFF, FACTORF.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11925118908977018456noreply@blogger.com0