Never mind the utterly vicious intensity of Defiance’s hard-hitting streetpunk sound, the anarchy-wielding quartet may even – no, scratch that – DEFINITELY pack a bigger punch with their absolutely scathing, compelling, socio-political lyrics. Celebrating their tenth anniversary – the band formed in the winter of 1993 as a five-piece in Portland, OR – the guys have just put out a singles collection and re-released their first two records, ‘No Future No Hope’ and ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, no doubt two of the ‘90s most influential anarcho-punk releases.
On making it to this point, via email, guitarist/vocalist Mike Arrogant (the only founding member remaining), says he never would have thought Defiance would still be around today. “[Back then] I had no idea how long, but I never imagined it would be this long. I am definitely happy that it’s gone on this long.” He reminisces, “There are so many memories associated with this band for me personally – all the places I’ve been able to see and all the amazing people I have met over the years – I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.” When the band formed, their aims were simple, and remain so to this day, as Mike describes, the band was interested in “having fun, playing music on our own terms and hopefully inspiring others to see life in a different way than society tells ‘em.”
Defiance’s newest output, the three songs that comprise the “Against The Law” EP, which is being released as a single in Europe only, limited to a mere 1000 copies (as Mike points out, this is sure to be a rarity in the U.S. as a result), and included on their recently released “A Decade Of Defiance – Complete Singles Collection”, was, as Mike explains in the liner notes, “recorded just prior and during the ‘War With Iraq,’” and in turn, “reflect the times.” No doubt they do. “Fall in Line” deals with joining the army and throwing away your future and how “No one could prepare for what lies ahead/In a blink of an eye it’s fucking famine and death.” “Warfare” is more of the same, but this time Mike and Defiance expose who’s really fighting and dying (supposedly) in the name of freedom (the masses) and who’s gaining from their deaths (the elite few who are rich and in power). Meanwhile, on “Does This System Work?” (a homage to Discharge’s classic?…) they ask valid, thought-provoking questions, such as, “If there’s liberty, freedom, and justice for all, then why do we suffer and why do we fall?” and “Why do innocent die while the scum stay in power?” So, consequently, these most-recent additions to their ever-growing catalogue, prove that Defiance are still angry about the same topics, namely war, government, and the numerous injustices we face everyday. Musically, these three offerings are dark and ominous-sounding while still speedy and harshly intense, mirroring the urgency of the vocals and direness embedded in the lyrics wonderfully.
But back to the Discharge reference. Defiance really are reminiscent of this great anarcho-punk band, as they disclose grave injustices within the system and question war, corruption, death, and destruction. When asked if real change is possible, seeing that bands such as the mighty Discharge, Varukers, Skeptix, and Conflict, for example, have been singing about society’s numerous problems for 25 years and it’s safe to say not much has changed for the better, Mike honestly replies, “I do know that bands like that inspired us greatly, and if not for them, we may not be here so many years later saying what we are saying now to loads of people who have never been into those bands. So it’s not futile,” adding, “As far as real social change goes, I think people inspiring each other and being aware of society’s ills and taking a stand against them, whether it be in songs or on the streets, is a great start.” Touché!
And this idea of being aware of what’s going on in the world and in our country, encapsulates Defiance’s philosophy, as on songs like “Nowhere”, the opening track from their visceral second LP ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, they reveal their incredulousness of how patriotic people can be so blinded and not see through the innumerable lies we are told everyday by the government. This song is also a prime example of their intense hatred of the U.S., featuring lines like “Poverty and suffering is brought on by your fucking country/A country I won’t support, a flag I fucking hate/A nation I despise/So fly your flag and I’ll fucking burn it.”
Mike and his cohorts have wanted to re-release their first two albums for some time now, but, according to the long-time member, “Our hands were kinda tied.” Not getting into specifics about why they couldn’t until now, he continues, “Fortunately we were able to re-release them this year as well as [put out] the singles collection, which is something that’s also been in the works for quite some time.” And the plan behind re-issuing the older material is to just make it “more available to people who may not have been there the first time around.”
It would be a smart investment to get a hold of these two discs, as they are full of some important ideas and messages, such as decrying the countless evils brought on by our corrupt system like the exploitation of the poor and the harmful consequences of capitalism, waging wars for the profit of the few in power, and the encroachment of basic freedoms and rights. However, Mike divulges that not one particular event influenced his way of thinking and his views towards America, but says, “I suppose it was late teens for me – that’s when I started writing the type of lyrics I write and getting involved with things politically [like] demonstrations [and] boycotts.”
Defiance’s messages – and their subsequent attempt at opening people’s eyes to important issues – are timelier than ever with the Bush regime in full swing, which Mike deems as “directly probably the most frightening [of all the nation’s institutions]” that is threatening the populace today. He elaborates, “[The Republicans in power], much like others before them (i.e. Reagan and Bush, Sr.), don’t seem to care at all about anything except moving backwards. I’m obviously not a Democrat, but I do think it’s odd how every time a new Republican comes into office, unemployment at the working class level reaches an all-time low, and laws concerning the upper classes and corporations begin changing suddenly. And like clockwork, out of nowhere,” he muses, “there is always some maniac tyrant on the loose threatening the freedom, safety, and security of the American people and democracy for all, without fail, the military must then receive billions to combat it. Not to mention the fact that they always seem to want to send women’s rights skyrocketing back to the Dark Ages in regards to the abortion issue.” He concludes, “It’s always the same, people don’t seem to see it, or maybe they just don’t give a fuck.”
So, the guys openly speak about these topics on their records, and as a result, the lyrics are often bleak. However, an odd contradiction is that on some songs Defiance convey their view that conditions cannot improve; prime examples of which are “No Future No Hope” and “Dead and Gone”, where they ponder, “What the fuck will change?” arriving at the conclusion, “Nothing at all.” They even go so far as to say that nothing they’ve done or said during their lifetime will change anything in the end, “So why should I care, why does it matter?” Yet still on others like “It’s Never Gonna Change”, they say our lives can in fact be improved and we can watch the system “fall to its knees” as long as we unite and fight for the same cause. Regarding this observation, Mike says, “I suppose some of [the contradictions] come from different people with differing opinions writing the lyrics. The fact that our last singer was very pessimistic and the lyrics I write, while pessimistic, still try to leave a glimmer of hope. Sometimes you feel overwhelmed and hopeless and sometimes you feel inspired and that some way human nature isn’t as bad as it seems. That affects your outlook and the way you write lyrics.” Nevertheless, the idea that comes through more often than not on their material is that the band would like to see the corrupt system be destroyed; it would certainly be better than living helplessly within it, they wisely reason.
As for Defiance’s two initial albums and their somewhat contrasting sound and tone, Mike says, “I think [they] are very different. ‘No Future’ I suppose I am more critical of, but it was a good first record looking back now. ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ just seems a bit dark to me, as there was some interpersonal things going on with the band that I think come out in the songs. It’s strange how stuff like that can affect things subconsciously. I am happy with both, however,” he declares. And after this second album, things were looking grim for Defiance, as they contemplated dissolving the band, and three members actually left during that time, leaving only Mike and guitarist Matty, who joined the band around ’98. Luckily the two decided to keep the band going and enlisted bassist Alan and Brian on drums, making the band a four-piece. Their third full-length was released in 2002 on Punk Core and is entitled ‘Out Of The Ashes’.
Defiance are currently working on material for their fourth album, which they hope will be released in the summer of 2004. They have nine songs completed, which Mike refused to elaborate on, coyly stating, “I’ll let the new stuff speak for itself…”
In the meantime, Defiance will head out on a West Coast tour this December in commemoration of their tenth anniversary, which will begin in Portland. Mike says they’ll meet up with The Lower Class Brats about midway through and that it “should be loads of fun.” Uh, with LCB on hand, you better believe it. Anyway, then, for all of us deprived in New York, an East Coast tour is slated for March, and in June there will be yet another West Coast tour featuring the U.K.’s Drongos For Europe. “Hopefully,” he confides, “[We’ll hit] Europe this fall if all goes as planned.” Ten years and still working like mad – that’s a good sign. Here’s to ten more.
