On May 24, 2012 we talked to DIY hardcore act from Warsaw, Indiana called SERPENT’S TONGUE. The band has recently released their new EP entitled “Vices” and found some time to answer a few questions for us. They shared their thoughts on their local scene, revealed some news from their camp and in return we persuaded them to read more about the history of their town ;)
Hi! Warsaw-Warsaw secure transmission established. Over. [laughs] It’s awesome to talk to a band from a city named after the one I live in. Do you know the history of your county, the city itself and the whole American tribute to our national hero Tadeusz Kosciuszko?
I honestly don’t know any of the history at all, other than the courthouse is supposed to be haunted! [laughs] I should probably study up.
Oh, man. Do me a favor and do so [laughs].
So how’s your neighborhood treating bands like you? How big is your scene? Tell us everything we need to know about your local music environment.
Warsaw, Indiana actually had an amazing music scene years ago but unfortunately we’re the only active band left in our town for the most part. I think a lot of people have grown up and moved away, leaving their love of music behind. Fortunately everyone in SERPENT’S TONGUE is dedicated, and determined to make this band a priority. We have a good hardcore scene about an hour away from us in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We’ve had plenty of good shows in neighboring cities. We honestly have only played in Warsaw once in someone’s garage, and it was incredible. Maybe someday we’ll have more bands in our town again!
It’s quite close to Chicago, but even closer to Fort Wayne. Do you travel a lot? What scenes other than your local one attract you the most?
We travel almost every weekend, which is awesome. It’s very rewarding to drive a few hours and get a good response from a crowd that hadn’t heard of us before we played. Fort Wayne has always treated us well, along with South Bend. Our first show was in Huntington at a venue called The 509, and we’ve played there a couple times since then. The guy who runs the place is super cool! He’s in a great hardcore band as well so shows there always rule. It’s out in the middle of nowhere but kids show up anyway!
What’s coming up next when it comes to your live appearances? Sell us some stories about Metalfest 2012 and other events worth checking out when you’re around.
We have finally finished writing some new material, which we played for the first time last night and it went over great. I think our whole message is put across really plain and simple with this new intro we’re playing. Zach (our vocalist) is always showing me lyrics he is working on and we now start our set with a few loud cymbal crashes and open notes then the line “We are Serpent’s Tongue!”. As tacky as that may sound I think it’s a good introduction to what we’re trying to do musically.
I think our name alone should give people the hint that we are trying to play honest, and violent hardcore. As far as Metalfest 2012 goes, it was probably the most fun we’ve had playing thus far.
By the time we were finished there were a couple of holes punched through the walls. We don’t promote the destruction of venues, but seeing everyone go that nuts is proof that we are at least touching a few people.
Zach seems to always get the place rowdy, so there is usually never a dull moment during our extremely short set! About a month ago we were playing at this place called the Bender Ballroom, and Zach noticed a few people sitting down in chairs near the back, so he started flipping the chairs over sending the guys flying into the pit! Sitting down is never tolerated at a SERPENT’S TONGUE show! [laughs]
[laughs] Cool, so you’ll have to visit Europe sometime soon and make Warsaw, Poland’s people move their asses faster [laughs].
Ok, I’m joking. Let’s make it straight, our kids move their asses fast enough, which has been documented here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here or here [laughs].
Ok, so you’ve released your debut EP entitled“Vices” in March. How do distribute the outing? Any plans to release a physical copy?
We recorded the EP, and did the artwork ourselves so it’s just available on BandCamp for free download. We did have about 100 physical copies with nice homemade cases we gave out at shows, all of which are long gone now.
Our plan is to do a full length at a real studio in a few months. We are really just taking our time writing new songs. It’s always disappointing when a band comes out with an incredible demo or EP and then puts out a predictable full length. We don’t wanna be that band.
Would you be looking for a label for a next release?
We would love some label support in the future. If we have a label by the time we release something new that’ll be fantastic. If not, we’re fine with putting the time and effort in ourselves. We do hope to progress with a label eventually, but only time will tell.
So what and when can we expect coming up next for the band?
A new release with better recordings, and more shows out of state. We haven’t had a chance to play in Ohio or Illinois yet, but we soon will! Our new material is a lot more mature sounding than “Vices” I think. We just want to keep progressing musically and not sound like anyone else. So much hardcore that is out out nowadays is a TERROR or HATEBREED rip off. I love those bands, but we aren’t going for that sort of hardcore at all. I hope we’re offering something a little new and refreshing!
What else do you guys do besides living this band? Building careers or just hanging out on Oakwood Cemetery at night? [laughs]
We’re all really close friends so hangouts happen all the time. I (Gavin, Guitar) just graduated from high school so I’ve been working a little bit and focusing a lot on this band. Shelby (Drums) and I are the youngest members so we probably have the most free time. We don’t go to Oawkwood much, but we do explore the abandoned buildings by Winona Lake pretty often! It’s a pretty spooky place until you realize that whoever spray painted 666 on the wall also put the Star of David right beneath it.
I’m sure it was supposed to be a pentagram [laughs]. I guess they don’t listen to enough SLAYER, or maybe there really is such a thing as Jewish Satanists!
[laughs] Nice.
Thanks, guys. Feel free to add anything you like.
Thanks for the interview! It’s been a pleasure. Everyone can check us out on BandCamp or Facebook! We love any sort of feedback or support. Now I’m off to read up on Mr. Kosciuszko.
