{"id":453,"date":"2012-03-26T18:43:58","date_gmt":"2012-03-27T02:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/Interviews\/?p=453"},"modified":"2012-05-02T16:16:46","modified_gmt":"2012-05-02T10:46:46","slug":"interview-cop-problem-discuss-debut-ep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/Interviews\/2012\/03\/26\/interview-cop-problem-discuss-debut-ep\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Cop Problem Discuss Debut EP"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Andrew Bansal<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Based on the strength of their growing fan-following in the Philadelphia DIY hardcore punk scene wherein they’ve been performing actively since starting out in mid-2010, Cop Problem are about to release their self-titled debut EP, on March 29th. To those who’ve never heard of the band, this three-song EP is the first taste of what they sound like, and also a great indication of what to expect from them in the near future. The furious 8-minute effort not only exemplifies the hardcore D-beat style, but also presents other elements you wouldn’t normally find in bands that are part of this type of scene.<\/p>\n

I reviewed their EP a couple of weeks back, and in an effort to further introduce this promising band to Metal Assault readers, here’s an interview I did with them. Enjoy the conversation below, and make sure you check out their official facebook page<\/a><\/strong> for all the info on how to order the EP, and to see the dates on their gig calendar.<\/p>\n

First of all, I must say that the music on your debut EP fits the<\/strong>\u00a0band’s name very well. How did you decide on the name ‘Cop Problem’ in<\/strong>\u00a0the first place?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joshua: Actually, our friend Steve Hackett who sings and plays bass\u00a0in NJ band Bible Thumper thought of it. During our formative stages\u00a0we would have different musicians come and play shows, and he was one\u00a0of the initial singers we had before settling on our final lineup. We\u00a0all felt the name fits and looking back- it’s a pretty poignant\u00a0statement. Not just referring to police, but the military complex in\u00a0general, as America has taken to “policing” the globe.<\/p>\n

Talking of the debut EP, it’s releasing very soon. When did you<\/strong>\u00a0guys start working on these songs, and how long did it take for you to<\/strong>\u00a0write them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joshua: Randon had most of “Blinded By Power” written from the\u00a0onset, we tinkered with a few parts as band for the final version, but\u00a0the melodic arrangement was him. I experimented with a few different\u00a0beats, but we all liked the d-beat backbone the best in the end. “Monuments” and “Along for the Ride” were more collective efforts.\u00a0Randon and I each had some parts and we just kind of jammed them out\u00a0until we had songs. Donny and Deb also help with the editing process\u00a0by helping us cut out extraneous parts or adding new sections. Deb\u00a0will then go in and lay down lyrics and start applying vocals. Randon
\nalso will contribute to backing vocals and crafts the lyrics to his\u00a0parts as well. All-in-all, it’s a fairly collective effort. Some\u00a0members take lead in some songs, while other members spearhead other\u00a0songs. We have a grip of new tracks we’re eager to get back into the
\nstudio and lay down.<\/p>\n

I like the fact that it’s so concise, at only 8-and-a-half minutes<\/strong>\u00a0in duration. Was that your original plan, or did you intend to put out<\/strong>\u00a0a longer EP?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joshua: Thanks. Yes, we planned to just do 3 songs for this EP. It\u00a0was our first time recording with Will Yip and our first collective\u00a0effort in a studio. We’ve all recorded in other bands and did the\u00a0demo together but we wanted to just go in and knock these tracks out\u00a0and get this release under our belts before tackling larger projects.\u00a0Everything went great and I’m sure we’ll be working with Will again\u00a0soon.<\/p>\n

I feel that the music has more to it than merely hardcore D-beat<\/strong>\u00a0punk. Do you agree with that assessment? If yes, where do the other<\/strong>\u00a0elements come from?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Deb: I would agree with that. While we all have a love of punk and\u00a0hardcore, I think we each have really eclectic musical tastes both\u00a0within and outside of those genres, so I think that it just comes\u00a0through in what we write. We each bring a little something different\u00a0to the table, so some band members’ influences are more pronounced on\u00a0some songs, and others’ influences on other songs.<\/p>\n

Would you say you’ve captured your on-stage energy into this EP?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joshua: I’d say we’re all very happy with the sound of EP. Will Yip\u00a0is a gifted studio engineer. I don’t think it was our intention to\u00a0recreate a live sound exactly. I feel like live sounds are more\u00a0spontaneous and raw and in the moment. And recordings should sound
\nlike recordings. I think the energy captured on the EP definitely\u00a0reflects our energy as a band and Will did a great job capturing our\u00a0sound at that moment in time.<\/p>\n

This EP has only three songs, but I’m sure you play a longer set on<\/strong>
\n stage. What does your set list usually consist of?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Donny: Our live set usually clocks in around seven or eight songs.\u00a0Two of which (Hope With Out Reason and Answers To The Wrong Questions)\u00a0are from the demo tape we released a little over a year ago. All the\u00a0rest of the songs in our live set are unreleased as of right now. We\u00a0have talked about doing another EP and possibly a split in the near\u00a0future, but nothing is confirmed as of right now either release or\u00a0label wise.<\/p>\n

Joshua: Donny summed it up, but we do also have a digital only\u00a0version of “Endless War” online. We’re discussing possibly\u00a0re-recording that one for a later release as it’s gone through some\u00a0adaptations. Getting back to the studio is definitely going to happen
\nbefore the end of the year.<\/p>\n

I believe you did a CD-release show last weekend. How did that go?<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Deb: It wasn’t really an official record release, but it was the first\u00a0show where we actually had our vinyl for sale. The Show was in\u00a0Doylestown, PA at Siren Records (who now also has our EP in-stock).\u00a0It’s always a good time playing at Siren surrounded by vinyl and
\nawesome people.<\/p>\n

There’s just something about the album cover that pulls me towards<\/strong>
\n it. Who designed it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joshua: Thanks. Jason Angst (www.jasonangst.com<\/a><\/strong>) crafted the cover\u00a0art. He is a fantastic visual and tattoo artist from Pittsburgh, PA\u00a0that has been friends with Randon and Deb for some time. We\u00a0commissioned him shortly after laying down the tracks last year and\u00a0sent him the lyrics to the EP. He laid down the original art as a\u00a0large oil-on-canvas painting and then scanned the image for use to use\u00a0on the EP. He worked in a lot of the lyrical motifs in the final\u00a0artwork and we were all very stoked to see what he had come up with.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I think the female vocals gives your music a sense of uniqueness,<\/strong>\u00a0and an edge over other bands of similar style. Did you set out to be a<\/strong>\u00a0female-fronted band from the beginning itself?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Deb: No. There was nothing contrived about the choice of musicians in\u00a0the band. Josh and I have been playing music together for many years\u00a0and he asked me to come jam with the band because the vocalist at the\u00a0time wasn’t able to play an upcoming show. It went really well and we\u00a0all decided that my vocals and lyrics were a solid fit for the sound.\u00a0I would hope that when people are listening to our music they judge\u00a0solely on the quality of the music, not what the band members have\u00a0between their legs.<\/p>\n

Joshua: Just to piggyback on Deb’s answer-she is right. Definitely\u00a0nothing contrived here. Cop Problem started as what I would call a\u00a0very “punk” project. We had a rotating cast of musicians with Randon\u00a0and I being the core during the formative stages. Different shows
\nwould showcase different musicians from the area that were and still\u00a0are our friends with. I feel it added to sense of immediacy and added\u00a0an element of surprise. All of the people we worked with were very\u00a0talented and well rehearsed with us. We asked Deb on board because\u00a0she is an incredible singer and lyricist, her gender really never came\u00a0up for discussion. We’ve settled into a steady and solid lineup and\u00a0will be forging ahead as is for the foreseeable future. I am really\u00a0happy with the way the live show and new songs are progressing.<\/p>\n

How active is the underground scene for bands like yours in<\/strong>\u00a0Philadelphia? Do you get to play a lot of shows or is it sporadic?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Donny: The scene here in Philadelphia is amazing. We have shows\u00a0everywhere from basements, living rooms, art spaces and dive bars to\u00a0church basements as well as decent sized venues like The Barbary and\u00a0Union Transfer. Our scene is very lucky to have people like Joe\u00a0Hardcore, Sean Agnew, Greg Daly, Jamie Getz and everyone else at R5\u00a0Productions (http:\/\/www.r5productions.com<\/a><\/strong>) and Philly Shows\u00a0(http:\/\/philly-shows.com<\/a><\/strong>) who help out bands that come to town. There\u00a0is also a great network of smaller house shows all over Philadelphia.\u00a0It seems like there is never a shortage of places to play when bands\u00a0come through on tour which is great.<\/p>\n

What plans do you have for the near future, in terms of gigs?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Donny: Our main goals for playing shows are to make new friends, play\u00a0new places and do as many three-day weekends as possible. In July we\u00a0will be hitting the road for a ten-day tour down to Florida. After we\u00a0get back from that tour I am sure it will be business as usual with\u00a0more recording, more shows and even more touring.<\/p>\n

It’s interesting that you’re also running the Blow The Scene<\/strong>
\n website. How actively are you involved in that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joshua: BlowTheScene.com<\/a><\/strong> is my baby. I started it a couple years ago\u00a0as a hobby and it took off more than I expected and has been taking up\u00a0more and more time lately. Really it’s just an extention of my\u00a0lifelong love of music and art. I am always going to shows and\u00a0hanging with different musicians and artists, so this just gives me an\u00a0excuse to do it more haha. And finally getting to put my degree in\u00a0English writing to use haha, as I handle the majority of the written\u00a0content. Doesn’t pay the bills, but sure is fun. Getting ready to
\nkick off a new batch of columns with some some rad musicians and\u00a0artists including Carl Auge of His Hero is Gone and Drain The Sky and\u00a0Thom Schlatter of Black Kites\/ Less Life, and many others. I think\u00a0people will be stoked to see some of these renowned musicians and\u00a0artists giving the inside scoop on their art and writing projects\u00a0included with our usual music coverage. Have to give a big thanks to\u00a0all the people who helped design and get this thing off the ground\u00a0with various contributions (Larry, James, Andy, Deb, Dante, Anne,
\nBora, Adam, Tim), it was definitely a team effort! Our photographers\u00a0Dante, Anne and Bora stay incredibly active and prolific. I am hoping\u00a0to pry some more work out of all these cats soon though, haha. Thanks\u00a0for checking it out and thanks for this interview!<\/p>\n

Related: EP review<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Andrew Bansal Based on the strength of their growing fan-following in the Philadelphia DIY hardcore punk scene wherein they’ve been performing actively since starting out in mid-2010, Cop Problem are about to release their self-titled debut EP, on March 29th. To those who’ve never heard of the band, this three-song EP is the first … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Interview: Cop Problem Discuss Debut EP”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/Interviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/Interviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/Interviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/Interviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/Interviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/Interviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":457,"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/Interviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453\/revisions\/457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/Interviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/Interviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/Interviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}