#punchdagger

1. First things first. Tell us who's in the band, what they play, where they're from, and describe each other using just one word.

Sam Watt - Vocals, Angus Mok - Guitar/Vocals, Josh Gardiner - Drums, Scott Lefever - Bass.

Angus: We all started in Cowra, but we're all spread out over Australia at the moment.

Scott: I live in Melbourne (the best city in the world) and Angus lived in Canberra when we started. But Cowra is our centre, basically.

Sam - Scattered Angus - Asian Scott - Sweat Josh - Desu

 2. When, why, and how did Punchdagger form? What do you guys hope to achieve by being in the band?

Angus: Sam and I had an idea for a melodic hardcore band for a really long time and being from a small country town it was always hard to find people who had the same vision as us.

Sam: I'd say the band really got started around September of 2011, when Josh joined. We didn't really have a bass player at that point so our good friend Reece Downing, who's the vocalist for Cowra hardcore band What We've Made, filled in for our first show, which was actually Angus' 21st party.

Angus: Scott joined the band in February 2012 and he's been awesome for us. As for why, I guess we started the band to play music that's honest and straight up, to play the sort of music that we wanted to hear. 

Scott: We feel that hardcore music has been filled with a lot of hate and fashion recently, when it should be about the music, the message, friends, community, good vibes and good times. We want to play music to people who are just as passionate about these things as we are.

3. Being a band that has members living hours apart from each other, how do you manage the writing process, band practice and organising gigs? Downsides and/or upsides to the distance?

Sam: Everyone being far apart definitely has it's downsides but we keep in contact daily. Our writing process I suppose is a little different than the norm but being far apart has upsides as well. Angus writes most of the songs and we send them back and forth between each other. So we all have input.

Scott: The band doesn't get to practice in full as often as we'd like but it's something we aim to work on. To be honest, it's only me that misses out and bass doesn't matter (haha). Members being spread across states has helped with making contacts as well, which is always handy when we're trying to organise shows, merch and recordings.

4. Pretty sure everyone wants to know who came up with the band name and why/where did it come from?

Sam: Well Angus and I are pretty hardcore gamers. The name actually comes from a game called Heroes of Newerth, it's a weapon in the game. Nerdy, huh? Turns out people think it's badass (haha).

5. Punchdagger have recently recorded their first demo; so what was it like being in the studio and are you happy with the outcome? How do you think/hope others will respond to the demo?

Angus: The demo was recorded in Melbourne; Josh and Sam and I drove 8 hours in one day down there. It was basically recorded in one day and the process was pretty rushed, and it shows (haha). Josh I think recorded the drums in under an hour.

Scott: The last 2 songs that we did were first takes actually. So it was rushed and definitely not easy, but we pulled through and personally I think it's a good representation of our effort and commitment, considering the circumstances. We plan to do a full 5 or 6 track EP later in the year with a few new songs so we're all looking forward to that.

Sam: We hope people come out to our shows and have some fun, sing along, go crazy and have a mosh.

Below you’ll find a bit of information about the meaning behind each of Punchdagger’s songs on their upcoming demo release PD2012: 

Something To Lose:

Sam: This one is about the state of humanity and the world in general at the moment, how everybody is looking for change but nobody is willing to put in the work and fix these problems that everyone is complaining about.

New Change:

Sam: New Change is about having a positive mindset and how much of an effect it can have on your life. 

No Direction:

Angus: This is a song about the feeling of being unsure about the future and the impact your life will have on the greater part of the world. I'm sure everyone has felt like they won't leave a legacy on the world and the lyrics basically just talk about the fear that goes with that.

Escape From Reality:

Angus: Here we're talking about living in the past. Everyone has had moments in their life that they wish they could relive, the good times and the times that made them smile.

Sam: It's about wishing for more times like these and being hopeful that more memories will be made, as good as the ones that have already been created.

Josh: 'eah.