I did this one with (his name’s) Spike from D.R.I. In 1999. This was a weird interview as Spike answered a lot of the questions in all caps and it was just strange. No matter what, Dealing With It is a classic American hardcore record. Originally in Parade Brigade Fanzine #1.
So what is going on with the band?
Same old story really… touring and writing and touring on and on. Also the D.R.I. Website is finally up and running! It is called D.R.I.’s homepage and the address is very simple to remember! Just go to www.dirtyrottenimbecles.com. Our new website is packed full of D.R.I. Stuff (from 1982-1998), chatroom, biographies, discography, what’s new, old interviews, tour dates, old pictures, all merchandise, old flyers, guitar and bass tablatures, and more… with even more added every week!
You said something about new stuff?
We are presently working on our 9th release… as of today not title so far, but twelve songs have been finished and five are in the works. It looks like we will have an old school type feel to this one since the majority of the songs are fast and short! A lot like Dealing With It, only with a 1998 feel to it!
What about getting back with old members?
Yes we are planning on doing a reunion show or two with Felix and Josh. Most likely only in the San Francisco area. And, possibly, a CD of rerecorded songs from the first two records with the old members playing on the songs!
Who is in the band right now?
Right now still myself (Spike-guitar), and Kurt (vocals), and Rob Rampy (drummer) since Definition, and Chumly Porter (Bass) since Full Speed Ahead.
Do you still keep in touch with people from the old days?
Well in general I didn’t until recently. Now with this computer that I’m writing all this on, on my website, old friends have been popping up all over the world and we have been corresponding now! It was hard for me to keep track of everyone. I was really the only one with the same address for the last sixteen years, so it was basically up to them to keep in touch with me. Now that’s all changed and email is great. No more waiting for weeks for a letter to be delivered, answered, and redelivered. Sometimes all that is done in a few minutes… this sounds like a plug for the Internet!
What was your favorite band to play with back then?
Back when? Well what pops into mind right away was touring with Corrosion of Conformity. We toured together a lot back then and it was great fun! I wish we could do it again someday! There was a lot of bands that I enjoyed playing with; as I’m thinking about it now they’re all starting to pop into my head… ah the good old days!
What do you think, as a band who has stayed together all these years, of all the bands back together like Underdog, Agnostic Front, etc?
I think it’s great! I saw Agnostic Front about a year ago in Australia when I was producing Damage (an Australian Rotten Records band) and they kicked ass. It brought back some good memories! I like a lot of the bands so it is a treat for me. I would like to do a tour with some of these bands like Agnostic Front and Dr. Know. I think it could be a cool tour package, an old school reunion tour! That would be killer. Imagine like five bands from back in the day… wow! I hope someone reads this and puts it together!
You’ve always stayed on indie labels, why didn’t you jump to a major like bands like Bad Religion have?
No one was interested in us, we don’t write music that will get radio airplay on the top forty stations like Bad Religion. We have been looking for a label with major distribution so at our CD’s will be in the stores for people to buy. It doesn’t have to be a major label, just have major distribution. But no interest from anyone yet that has major distro, only from small indie labels with indie distro like Rotten Records. So, the search continues…
You guys have always covered social issues and politics in your songs; do the new songs continue this?
Yeah so far there are more social issues on this new CD so far than anything else. I was hoping for more political stuff than we have so far, but maybe it’s still to come.
Have you done vinyl for your newer records?
The pressing of vinyl has dramatically dwindled over the last few years and releases. For our last release Full Speed Ahead I think we only pressed a hundred or two? Whichever it was they are all gone. We only did like 500 or 1000 for Definition and still have some left. Most of the vinyl goes overseas to countries that are still a bit behind in technology. You know some countries still are listening to 8-track tapes? That’s one thing we never made, 8-tracks. I wonder how many of your readers even know what an 8-track tape was?
Ok let’s end this; any closing thoughts?
We would like to thank anyone and everyone who has supported us in any way, whether it was buying a CD, shirt, going to a show or whatever, your support has helped us stick around for sixteen years and we are very grateful. We hope to keep going forever but things aren’t looking so good for us lately! I have no idea how long we can continue on with the same pace. I’m not saying we are breaking up, I’m just saying I don’t expect it to last much longer. I’m not even sure if we will put out this CD we are working on. So I’m saying thank you for the years of fun while I still have a chance. Thanks, Spike Cassidy D.R.I.
