Toxic Underground has added Longview, WA to punk rock map. As a band these guys are amazing. They put on a great live set and have played shows with mostly local bands. They currently have a demo out that will be on their bandcamp site later this month. They also plan to go on the road this summer. I got the band to tell their story...
Introduce yourself…
Toxic Underground is a hardcore punk band from Longview,WA. We are Keenan Calhoun on drums and lead vocals, Carson Calhoun on guitar and lead vocals, and Willie Johanson on bass. We have set out to revive the sound and the spirit of the classic 80s hardcore bands and above all are out to make music for the fun of it.
How did the band start?
We started because brothers Keenan and Carson Calhoun have spent years jamming together in our garage. When we were in our early teens we went to a lot of shows at the club Reid's in Longview and got into the punk scene around town. We have always had a love for the classic 80s punk bands and there were no bands that we knew of that had that same sound and feel, so we decided to start one ourselves. And that's basically how Toxic Underground was born.
How did you come up with the name?
I don't really remember how we came up with the name to be honest. I'm pretty sure that we just took two words that we liked and put them together.
Who would you say are your influences?
We are heavily influenced by Minor Threat, Seven Seconds, the Adolescents, Bad Religion, Black Flag, the Circle Jerks. We really love the sound and the intensity that those bands brought and we have tried to recreate that feel, while staying as original as possible.
What is the punk scene like in Longview?
Longview has a very strong music scene for such a small town. Most of the punk bands from our area are pop-punk bands, and we really love to play shows with them. There aren't really any hardcore punk bands like us around here, but that's just the way we like it.
Describe the song writing process...
A few songs are completely written by either Keenan or Carson but more are a collaboration between the two. Most guitar parts are written by Carson and most lyrics are written by Keenan but there is also a quite a bit of crossing over between the two of us. Most songs start simply as a concept or a riff that we develop together piece by piece into a full song. We aim for brevity and only want to write enough music and lyrics that it takes to get our point across. We want to ensure that we don't write any filler.
What have you released?
We have released only one demo that was recorded in our garage, really lo-fi. We are on the verge of releasing our 10 track album that will be available on our bandcamp page toxicunderground.bandcamp.com on February 17th for $5.
Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
We have played shows with a lot of really great bands from the Longview area, most notably Broadway Calls. We have also played with a few touring bands like Bomb the Music Industry! Most of our shows have been in Longview but we have been working on getting ourselves out there and playing more out of town.
Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
We prefer smaller clubs to larger venues. In smaller clubs the crowd seems to go wilder and the audience, and the band, tend to have more fun.
Have you toured?
No we haven't, but we hope to go on a west coast tour of some sort this summer.
Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Gamblers Die Broke, a Ska band from Longview, is easily our favorite band to play shows with. They are a really great band and definitely deserve more exposure than they currently have.
Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Without a doubt, we love to play at Minus World in Longview. Minus World is owned partially by the drummer of Broadway Calls and is a really great arcade, restaurant, hang out spot, and of course music venue. They have brought in a lot touring bands to our little town and have given bands like mine a place to play and get to know bands from out of town.
What do you see is the future of Toxic Underground?
I hope that Toxic Underground will have a few more albums, go on at least a west coast tour, and have a lot of great times over our run as a band. I have high hopes and expectations but I believe the only way to have success is to put all I have into it and hope for the best.
How can people contact the band?
People can contact us at toxicundergroundband@gmail.com or on facebook at facebook.com/toxicunderground
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