30&3rd

I’m quite a Selfish Ways fan. They’re not so very known in Europe and I think they should be! So yeah I contacted them to do an interview and they said yes so here’s the chat I had with Danny. Be sure to check them out at facebook and their bandcamp 

First of all thanks for doing this, let’s keep the first question simple:

Introduce yourself and what you do in Selfish Ways?

I’m Danny and I sing in Selfish Ways.

Favorite Hardcore record label?

As of now I’d say 6131, they’re putting out some amazing albums.

Can you tell me a bit about how Selfish Ways got started?

I originally wasn’t in the line up but it was a few of my friends that had been in other bands together in the past. They got together and when I heard some of the music they had written I immediately wanted to be a part of it.

What are the main influences for Selfish Ways?

There are so many that come to play when we’re writing. I know our drummer is heavily influenced by Marauder. Backtrack, Downpresser, a few metal bands. It’s really a mixture of a lot of different music.

You’ve released a demo this year, what are the responses so far?

For the most part it’s been a real positive reaction we’ve gotten. At a show we played with The Mongoloids, their singer Greg complimented our set. It felt amazing to get recognition from someone who’s been in hardcore for so long.

How did the recording/producing process go and how did you get in contact with Ben Kocinski for the artwork?

Recording was a lot of fun, it had been a while since I had been in the studio last. It felt good to be back. As for our artwork, our bassist contacted him through the B9 boards and he went off of the lyrics for the song “Empty” for what is the cover of the demo.

You’ve played quite a few shows and traveled through quite a few places in America, how is this experience for you? And do you have the idea you’ve got your name out a bit in the scene over there?

It’s honestly the most amazing experience getting to travel to different places to do what you love and it’s even better when people dig your music. We’d love to play a full U.S. tour some day. I feel like slowly were building a fan base. We try to be open to the kind of shows we play just to keep it diverse.

Will you be planning to come to the UK or EU or anything like that anytime soon?

That’s actually something I’ve always wanted to do. Just go somewhere completely different from here and play. Just to see the reaction and feel how it is around a new kind of crowd. We’d live to head out there. It might just take some time.

What can we expect from Selfish Ways in the near future?

Well, we’ve been working on a few songs and are planning on releasing an ep and maybe a small tour for it.

Favorite venue you’ve played so far, and favorite after gig hangout?

We played a house show in our hometown. In the living room. I can honestly say it was the wildest show I’ve ever played. In N Out is always the meeting spot after shows.

What does Hardcore mean to you?

Hardcore to me means acceptance. No matter what you listen to, where you come from, what beliefs you may have, you’re always welcome.

If it wasn’t for Hardcore, what would you imagine yourself doing right now?

Shit, I really don’t even like the thought of that. It’s impacted my life so drastically. I’ve made so many friends and have so many great memories that even imaging not having that is just awful.

Is there anything you want to achieve with Selfish Ways? I mean what’s the dream? Where do you want to see yourselves in the future?

Ultimately, I want to travel the world with these guys. I want everyone to hear what we’ve got. That’s really all we could ask for. Just to play for kids and have a good time. Hopefully impact someone’s life the way so many hardcore bands before us have impacted us.

What are you looking forward to this year?

Recording our ep and hopefully touring.

Any last words? Something to add? Some bands we should check out?

Check out our bandcamp, we’ve got the demo up for free. Check out our friends in Rise! We appreciate you taking time to get our name out there, man. Thanks to anyone who actually read this.