| Drink To Victory Session | |
| Violitionist Sessions |
Session Date: October 23, 2012
Posting Date: October 29, 2012
Artist Hometown: Denton, TX
Links: MySpace
Recorded by: Michael Briggs
3 QUESTIONS
ONE: You’re about to celebrate your tenth anniversary as a band. For those who don’t know, how did you get started?
David Saylor: Me and Cory started playing.
Cory Hager: Drinking 40’s.
BF: Was it Drink to Victory off the bat?
Cory: I think it was actually Defensive Onslaught…
David: [Laughing] Sovietnam.
Justin Lemons: Sovietnam!
David: Oh, wait, that was a Rage song, what I said. It wasn’t that. It was Defensive Onslaught.
BF: Did you have a previous bassist?
Justin: They did, actually.
David: Curt…whatever his last name was.
Justin: He played in Notes From Underground too, for a period. David kicked him out of each band.
Cory: Yeah, because we were too pussy to do it.
David: He was a big guy.
BF: Well, being a band in Denton for ten years, how has the music scene changed over that time?
Justin: It has not really changed for us.
David: No…
Justin: Our perspective has remained exactly the same, I would say.
David: Pretty much.
BF: That was ten years ago. You were probably like 18 or 20 years old…
David: There might have been more rock bands then.
Cory: Better bands that we like to see…
David: Yeah. There was Fabulous Badasses and Record Hop and Mugzu, and that stuff. Whatever’s happening now doesn’t rock as hard.
BF: Are there any bands in Denton that you really get behind?
David: …
Cory: …
Justin: …Man!
BF: Besides the bands you play in…
David: Bludded Head, man.
BF: We’ve got the Bleeding Cloud behind you.
David: Yeah.
Justin: Yep…Cerulean Giallo is pretty cool.
David: Yeah, they’re good. Anything that the Talley brothers do, I like.
BF: You played new songs for the session?
David: Mhm.
Justin: We…tried.
Corey: Attempted.
David: They’re not new songs.
BF: Sure, but they’re not on Health…
David: Previously unreleased material.
BF: Are you planning on recording and releasing it, or is it just for the anniversary show next week?
Justin: To me, that all depends on what happens in the next week, honestly.
David: Yeah…
Justin: What I’m trying to say is that, if it doesn’t happen in the next week, I don’t know if it’s going to happen.
David: That’s true, yeah. It’s imminent, or never. It’s coming out soon, or never.
Justin: We have the means to do it now.
David: Sort of.
Justin: If you know how to put together our qualifications.
Cory Hager: Drinking 40’s.
BF: Was it Drink to Victory off the bat?
Cory: I think it was actually Defensive Onslaught…
David: [Laughing] Sovietnam.
Justin Lemons: Sovietnam!
David: Oh, wait, that was a Rage song, what I said. It wasn’t that. It was Defensive Onslaught.
BF: Did you have a previous bassist?
Justin: They did, actually.
David: Curt…whatever his last name was.
Justin: He played in Notes From Underground too, for a period. David kicked him out of each band.
Cory: Yeah, because we were too pussy to do it.
David: He was a big guy.
BF: Well, being a band in Denton for ten years, how has the music scene changed over that time?
Justin: It has not really changed for us.
David: No…
Justin: Our perspective has remained exactly the same, I would say.
David: Pretty much.
BF: That was ten years ago. You were probably like 18 or 20 years old…
David: There might have been more rock bands then.
Cory: Better bands that we like to see…
David: Yeah. There was Fabulous Badasses and Record Hop and Mugzu, and that stuff. Whatever’s happening now doesn’t rock as hard.
BF: Are there any bands in Denton that you really get behind?
David: …
Cory: …
Justin: …Man!
BF: Besides the bands you play in…
David: Bludded Head, man.
BF: We’ve got the Bleeding Cloud behind you.
David: Yeah.
Justin: Yep…Cerulean Giallo is pretty cool.
David: Yeah, they’re good. Anything that the Talley brothers do, I like.
BF: You played new songs for the session?
David: Mhm.
Justin: We…tried.
Corey: Attempted.
David: They’re not new songs.
BF: Sure, but they’re not on Health…
David: Previously unreleased material.
BF: Are you planning on recording and releasing it, or is it just for the anniversary show next week?
Justin: To me, that all depends on what happens in the next week, honestly.
David: Yeah…
Justin: What I’m trying to say is that, if it doesn’t happen in the next week, I don’t know if it’s going to happen.
David: That’s true, yeah. It’s imminent, or never. It’s coming out soon, or never.
Justin: We have the means to do it now.
David: Sort of.
Justin: If you know how to put together our qualifications.
TWO: Is there a reason why you only play shows sporadically?
David: It’s hard to practice.
Justin: Yeah.
David: It’s just…
Justin: I’d say it’s just impossible.
David: Yeah.
Cory: My work schedule sucks.
David: All of our schedules are different.
Cory: Which, I plan on quitting soon…
BF: I think it’s obvious that everyone misses you when you’re gone, because when you have the reunion shows, everyone always has a really good time…
David: If we played all the time, it wouldn’t be like that.
Justin: Yeah, that’s true. But…
David: We’re just ripping off the Toadies.
BF: Yeah, but they came back and put out another record…
Justin: Well, hey man! We’ve got three new songs!
David: Yeah. It’s like a new record.
Justin: It’s like an unrecorded new record.
Cory: I’ve got some songs on guitar, man, if you want to start playing drums…
David: Drink to Victory doesn’t do it for me anymore. I need louder.
Justin: We did, however, get the cops called on us at the practice space for the first time.
David: Yeah, that’s worrisome.
Justin: Drowning out T-2.
David: Not technically…
Justin: To the cops and neighbors! To the cops and neighbors.
David: Sure…
BF: This is at the storage place?
David: Yeah.
Justin: Lower frequencies travel farther, though.
David: I don’t get what the hell…he was just looking…it was late.
Cory: It was your voice…
Justin: Your voice really irritated him, man.
David: He didn’t like what I had to say.
BF: Is that illegal? That’s private property…
Justin: He had the codes. He doesn’t pay every month, but he got in. Maybe he does! Maybe he stopped there on the way home and was like, ‘I don’t like this one bit!’
David: It’s possible.
BF: Do you feel like you accomplished what you wanted to with Drink to Victory?
David: No.
Cory: No.
Justin: We didn’t accomplish anything. We did not accomplish one thing in ten years, so…
BF: You’ve got two full-lengths, the 7”…
Justin: Yeah…those are there.
Cory: We’ve still got plenty to sell.
Justin: Yeah! If you want one, let us know! Because we’ve got hundreds.
David: Hundreds.
Justin: You know, it doesn’t matter though.
Cory: I still enjoy it.
David: When they go for tons of money in the future, I’m going to be rich, because I’ve got all of them.
Justin: Yeah, there were only twenty released!
David: Limited edition!
Justin: Yeah.
David: It’s just…
Justin: I’d say it’s just impossible.
David: Yeah.
Cory: My work schedule sucks.
David: All of our schedules are different.
Cory: Which, I plan on quitting soon…
BF: I think it’s obvious that everyone misses you when you’re gone, because when you have the reunion shows, everyone always has a really good time…
David: If we played all the time, it wouldn’t be like that.
Justin: Yeah, that’s true. But…
David: We’re just ripping off the Toadies.
BF: Yeah, but they came back and put out another record…
Justin: Well, hey man! We’ve got three new songs!
David: Yeah. It’s like a new record.
Justin: It’s like an unrecorded new record.
Cory: I’ve got some songs on guitar, man, if you want to start playing drums…
David: Drink to Victory doesn’t do it for me anymore. I need louder.
Justin: We did, however, get the cops called on us at the practice space for the first time.
David: Yeah, that’s worrisome.
Justin: Drowning out T-2.
David: Not technically…
Justin: To the cops and neighbors! To the cops and neighbors.
David: Sure…
BF: This is at the storage place?
David: Yeah.
Justin: Lower frequencies travel farther, though.
David: I don’t get what the hell…he was just looking…it was late.
Cory: It was your voice…
Justin: Your voice really irritated him, man.
David: He didn’t like what I had to say.
BF: Is that illegal? That’s private property…
Justin: He had the codes. He doesn’t pay every month, but he got in. Maybe he does! Maybe he stopped there on the way home and was like, ‘I don’t like this one bit!’
David: It’s possible.
BF: Do you feel like you accomplished what you wanted to with Drink to Victory?
David: No.
Cory: No.
Justin: We didn’t accomplish anything. We did not accomplish one thing in ten years, so…
BF: You’ve got two full-lengths, the 7”…
Justin: Yeah…those are there.
Cory: We’ve still got plenty to sell.
Justin: Yeah! If you want one, let us know! Because we’ve got hundreds.
David: Hundreds.
Justin: You know, it doesn’t matter though.
Cory: I still enjoy it.
David: When they go for tons of money in the future, I’m going to be rich, because I’ve got all of them.
Justin: Yeah, there were only twenty released!
David: Limited edition!
THREE: What are the details of your tenth anniversary show?
David: Mortville is going to open up. You know who they are…
BF: Yeah.
MB: But explain it, for the cameras.
Justin: They are Mike Forbes and Nevada Hill and Bill from Bukkake Moms’s free jazz band, and they are unbelievable. I should have said them, when you asked that question earlier, and I should have also said Bukkake Moms.
BF: I’ve yet to see them, but I heard they’re really good.
Justin: Fucking unbelievable.
BF: Aren’t they young?
Justin: Very young. Some of them can drink, I think. Well, now there’s only three, but one of them at least can drink.
BF: It’s probably the coolest name ever.
Justin: It’s a good name. Descriptive.
David: Stoned Men and Scoff are going to split a set, so that’s good. That’s going to be exciting.
BF: I haven’t seen Scoff in a long time.
David: They haven’t played in a long time.
BF: We did that one show with them at J&J’s with you. I think that’s one of the last times I’ve seen them. That Trifle Tower, Drink to Victory, Scoff show?
David: That would have been a long time ago.
BF: Yeah, that was two or three years ago.
David: If it was with Trifle Tower, it would have been a lot longer than that, man. And then, Shiny Around The Edges are playing, because they’re part of the fam. They have to be there. It’s going to be awesome. There’s going to be some interesting new developments, I think.
Justin: And then Nick’s flying in for Dust Congress, and he’s got two new songs, but I don’t know if—
David: That are going to be probably way better and more developed, well-written, composed—
Justin: —than other bands.
BF: Is he flying in that day, or are they going to have time to practice?
David: I don’t know when he’s flying in.
Justin: They’re flying in on Friday or Saturday…I lost my message from him, but he’s coming in on Friday or Saturday. I think it’s Saturday, actually. And then he’s going to leave really early on Monday morning…
David: I hope he doesn’t leave on Monday morning.
BF: Tuesday morning?
Justin: Yeah, Tuesday morning! I forgot it was on a Monday…to everyone’s misery.
BF: I know I like to be hung over on Tuesday.
Justin: I know a lot of people are asking off work on Tuesday.
Cory: I’m not gonna work.
Justin: But that’s the actual day that they played together live.
BF: When was the first show? Where?
Cory: Rubber Gloves, open mike night.
David: Big Ass Beer…
Justin: On October 29th, 2002…
Cory: My 21st birthday. Had an 18-pack of Bud Light that night, of all beers.
David: I don’t remember that.
Cory: Because my brother gave it to me for my 21st birthday.
David: I don’t remember my 21st birthday.
BF: You spent it at Rubber Gloves open mike night?
Cory: Yeah…
David: It was amazing. It gave birth to something amazing. Would you believe that?
BF: As soon as you say that, you’re all supposed to flash your DIIV tattoos.
David: Oh, right.
BF: Have you seen that there’s another band called DIIV?
Justin: It’s ‘Dive,’ I believe.
David: Fuck those guys.
BF: I was confused, I thought you guys were playing the Index Festival.
David: I don’t know what that is.
Cory: Is that a skateboarding festival?
Justin: I’m not 100% sure about the Index Festival either, but we are not playing it. And we wouldn’t, either!
BF: The GZA played…
Justin: Well, maybe we’d play.
Cory: I like the Wu-Tang Clan.
Justin: We did play it, actually.
David: That was us. We are the Wu-Tang Clan.
BF: Yeah.
MB: But explain it, for the cameras.
Justin: They are Mike Forbes and Nevada Hill and Bill from Bukkake Moms’s free jazz band, and they are unbelievable. I should have said them, when you asked that question earlier, and I should have also said Bukkake Moms.
BF: I’ve yet to see them, but I heard they’re really good.
Justin: Fucking unbelievable.
BF: Aren’t they young?
Justin: Very young. Some of them can drink, I think. Well, now there’s only three, but one of them at least can drink.
BF: It’s probably the coolest name ever.
Justin: It’s a good name. Descriptive.
David: Stoned Men and Scoff are going to split a set, so that’s good. That’s going to be exciting.
BF: I haven’t seen Scoff in a long time.
David: They haven’t played in a long time.
BF: We did that one show with them at J&J’s with you. I think that’s one of the last times I’ve seen them. That Trifle Tower, Drink to Victory, Scoff show?
David: That would have been a long time ago.
BF: Yeah, that was two or three years ago.
David: If it was with Trifle Tower, it would have been a lot longer than that, man. And then, Shiny Around The Edges are playing, because they’re part of the fam. They have to be there. It’s going to be awesome. There’s going to be some interesting new developments, I think.
Justin: And then Nick’s flying in for Dust Congress, and he’s got two new songs, but I don’t know if—
David: That are going to be probably way better and more developed, well-written, composed—
Justin: —than other bands.
BF: Is he flying in that day, or are they going to have time to practice?
David: I don’t know when he’s flying in.
Justin: They’re flying in on Friday or Saturday…I lost my message from him, but he’s coming in on Friday or Saturday. I think it’s Saturday, actually. And then he’s going to leave really early on Monday morning…
David: I hope he doesn’t leave on Monday morning.
BF: Tuesday morning?
Justin: Yeah, Tuesday morning! I forgot it was on a Monday…to everyone’s misery.
BF: I know I like to be hung over on Tuesday.
Justin: I know a lot of people are asking off work on Tuesday.
Cory: I’m not gonna work.
Justin: But that’s the actual day that they played together live.
BF: When was the first show? Where?
Cory: Rubber Gloves, open mike night.
David: Big Ass Beer…
Justin: On October 29th, 2002…
Cory: My 21st birthday. Had an 18-pack of Bud Light that night, of all beers.
David: I don’t remember that.
Cory: Because my brother gave it to me for my 21st birthday.
David: I don’t remember my 21st birthday.
BF: You spent it at Rubber Gloves open mike night?
Cory: Yeah…
David: It was amazing. It gave birth to something amazing. Would you believe that?
BF: As soon as you say that, you’re all supposed to flash your DIIV tattoos.
David: Oh, right.
BF: Have you seen that there’s another band called DIIV?
Justin: It’s ‘Dive,’ I believe.
David: Fuck those guys.
BF: I was confused, I thought you guys were playing the Index Festival.
David: I don’t know what that is.
Cory: Is that a skateboarding festival?
Justin: I’m not 100% sure about the Index Festival either, but we are not playing it. And we wouldn’t, either!
BF: The GZA played…
Justin: Well, maybe we’d play.
Cory: I like the Wu-Tang Clan.
Justin: We did play it, actually.
David: That was us. We are the Wu-Tang Clan.
– Interview by Brent Frishman and Michael Briggs/Transcription by Dale Jones