Morning Again Logo Morning Again Band
Kevin Byers has been part of the hardcore scene going dorsum to the '90s. Showtime with xOutcastx in his native Ohio to his motility to Florida to join as frontman of Morning Again, the guy has spent years dedicated to his beloved for this movement. A tattooist who is co-owner of Black Cloud Tattoo in Northridge, OH, Kevin is currently gearing up for some forthcoming live dates with Morning Again in 2022 in support of the group'southward recently released Survival Instinct EP.
I recently chatted with Kevin about his life, time in the hardcore community, and his current balancing human activity of tattooing, family, and Morn Once again.
I always showtime these things off by getting some groundwork on your upbringing.
I grew upwards in Newark, OH. It'south about forty minutes from Columbus. It was a pretty small town. My parents were divorced and neither of them had much money. My mom worked a lot to try to and support united states, then I ended up spending most of my time with my grandparents. They basically raised me.
In terms of the music you lot listened to as a kid, did yous start off with heavy music, or did that come with time?
I was into rap before anything else. I got into break dancing and started a niggling dance crew with my friends called the Ultra Stone Coiffure [laughs]. We would intermission trip the light fantastic toe on the corners, at the swimming puddle, at school and later at the teen social club [laughs]. We were fifty-fifty dancing in the aisles of the theatre when we went to come across Breakin'and Beat Street. Not long after that a few of us got into skateboarding and from in that location I found punk.
I would read the skate magazines and see ads for bands and search them out. I also had a friend in junior high that had an older blood brother who was really into punk, so he would bring tapes to school for me to listen to. Dead Kennedys, Suicidal Tendencies, and Sex Pistols were the first bands that actually got me into it all. Every bit soon I heard those bands, I was hooked. Later on that, I dove head commencement into any punk band I could find.
What were some of the early shows you went to?
The first existent show I saw was the Expressionless Milkmen with my friend's older sister, I was probably in the 8th class. It was at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus. I ended upward seeing so many rad bands because of her: Ramones, GBH, 7 Seconds, Broken Bones, and and so many more. Most of the bigger shows I saw early on, were at the Newport.
Since you went on to go a tattoo artist, I imagine album art has always been something you lot paid extra attention to, even dorsum when you were a teen.
Anthology artwork was everything back then. I would go to the record store and flip through the records and would sometimes choice something to buy based off of the front comprehend art. I'd take it home, put it on, read the lyrics, read the thank you section. I'd see what bands they thanked so go run into if I could find that band'south record at the store. That's how nosotros heard nigh unlike bands before the internet. A lot of my offset tattoos were my favorite band's logos, so I definitely saw the connectedness early. I drew a lot every bit a kid, but stopped later on high school. Music and skateboarding took over my life. When I eventually got my apprenticeship to tattoo I basically had to reteach myself to properly draw again.
Last year I interviewed Damien Moyal, the original vocalizer in Morning time Again. This is what he had to say about his exit from the band: "It turned out that John had recruited Kevin [Byers] during our Dayton, OH show, and that while nosotros continued touring, Kevin was making arrangements to move to Florida." I wanted to go your take on how you came to be the vocalist of Morning Again.
Steve Looker and I were in a band called xOutcastx and we ended up playing our last testify in Dayton, OH with Morning Over again while they were on bout. Steve was leaving our band to play in Culture, so we were calling it quits. I ended up talking to John at the show for a while and he inquired nigh what I was planning on doing now that our ring was washed. I told him I was going to maybe start some other ring. He asked if I'd be interested in joining Morning Once again. I thought he was asking me to play bass at beginning considering that's what I was doing in xOutcastx.
I didn't observe out until a week afterwards on the phone that he really wanted me to sing. Of course I said yeah. I loved their showtime EP and couldn't pass up an opportunity similar that. I really didn't even know John that well. I had only met him one time or twice before that testify ,but it didn't stop me. I got a one way ticket, had eighty dollars cash and the rest of my life in a duffle bag and moved 1,500 miles away from everything I knew to come across what would happen.
How did you develop your vocal style during that period? Did you have specific influences that helped shape your approach?
At the time I had no clue what I was doing, haha. John loved Iggy from Abstaining'due south voice, then I was trying my vocals in that sort of style with my take on it at first. I was constantly trying to find my sound, and actually don't remember I started to develop information technology until the end of the band in '98. I recall the new 7" is the best representation of my song abilities
The first Morn Once again record I remember hearing you on was the My Statement of Life in a Dying Earth EP. I listened to information technology again today and it still holds up.
We were merely eager to keep releasing music. We were touring a lot at that betoken and wanted to constantly have new material. Those songs were only office of the natural progression of the ring. We also felt we needed something very personal as far as the packaging was concerned. Nosotros teamed up with Sean from Immigrant Dominicus Records because we knew he would make that happen. He did a great chore helping bring our vision to life to compliment those songs.
Were y'all guys exclusively playing on hardcore bills, or did yous as well do shows with straight-up metal bands?
Southward Florida had a very diverse scene when I moved there. You lot would have ska, emo, metal, hardcore bands all on the same bill. The kids all supported each other'southward bands. It was definitely a cool fourth dimension for music in South Florida. Overseas, it was mostly hardcore and the occasional actual metal band.
After releasing Martyr on Good Life Recordings in 1997, Morning Once again signed on with Revelation Records the adjacent twelvemonth. How did the human relationship with Revelation begin?
We were approached by someone who was doing A&R for Revelation at the fourth dimension. We had many discussions and decided that was the best characterization going forrard for the band. There were a scattering of labels interested but Rev just felt right for us.
Revelation released Every bit Tradition Dies Slowly in 1998. The first track on the album is "Stones," and I call back it might be my favorite Morning Once again vocal.
When this song was written, nosotros felt this was an of import topic to hash out. There really wasn't much support or awareness at the time and it's something nosotros as a ring felt actually strongly about. Our goal was never to amerce people. It was always to open word and sensation. That's what we wanted to exercise with this song and the response was very positive.
Did you lot e'er blow your vox out on bout or in the studio?
I unremarkably had no issues with my phonation on bout. It wasn't until I had a break in between playing shows that information technology would take a bit for me to find my sweet spot again. I had a bad experience in the studio during the As Tradition Dies Slowly recording, though. I was not feeling well and had a sore pharynx and could barely speak through almost of information technology. Unfortunately, we were on a time and budget crisis and I did the all-time I could with what I had. Y'all can definitely even hear my phonation slowly fire out from the kickoff to the last vocal on the record.
On Forenoon Again's To Die a Bitter Decease EP, y'all give special thanks to Immigrant Lord's day Records' Sean Mallinson and say, "He is the but person in the world nosotros ever dealt with that nosotros feel has never taken advantage of us." Is it safety to say that you had some bad dealings through your previous characterization agreements?
We definitely didn't have the all-time dealings with some of the labels nosotros worked with to that indicate. I'd rather not drag anyone through the mud. Just wanted to highlight that Sean was ever very honest and straight frontward with the states and we really appreciated working with him.
Why did Morning Again break upwardly in 1999? Were you guys simply burnt-out on each other, or did you all desire to showtime new projects?
It was really on our final Europe tour in 1998. I think the same affair happened to us that eventually happens to near bands on a streak. It just happened before for us. We were burnt out on touring and each other. It had been going pretty much nonstop since it started. We were starting a US tour to support the full-length and our van broke down on the way to the first show and we were so broke we couldn't even stop information technology. I had recently moved domicile to take care of my newborn daughter, then I was now sort of asunder from everything. John had started Eulogy and it was really taking off,. He too had but started Where Fear and Weapons Meet, so I'd imagine he was overwhelmed with his time, too. There were and then many more factors in play, and so its difficult to pivot it on just one, it but happened.
Did you move back to Ohio correct after the band broke up?
I moved dorsum to Ohio when my daughter was born. I would fly dorsum and forth for tours and recordings. Before long subsequently moving back is when we disbanded.
You were briefly in a band called Dead Blueish Sky, and you fifty-fifty sang on Reduced to a Whisper, their first release. I really like the two songs on that 7".
I played bass and was an original fellow member. I was only on the vii", though. We only played a few shows together with that lineup earlier breaking up. Afterwards they reformed with all new members. I still like that first 7".
Tell me nearly the formation of your next band, Waking Kills the Dream.
We started Waking Kills the Dream in late 1999. It was a piffling scrap after Dead Blue Heaven had cleaved up. Initially, it was only Matt Tackett (Twelve Tribes) and I. When we started, nosotros had no clue what the ring would sound like. We just got together and started jamming riffs. Anybody had different musical backgrounds and that definitely came through in the music.
How much touring did Waking Kills the Dream end up doing, and what lead to the breakdown?
We but did a few small weekend tours and a Euro tour. I enjoyed the band simply information technology seemed like at the time we were non heavy enough for hardcore kids and besides heavy for the pop punk/emo kids. Later, later on we called it quits, that mode of music actually caught on. Go effigy [laughs].
I love the new Morn Once more EP, Survival Instinct. How did it come up together and was it an easy or tough task to get everyone 1 the aforementioned page?
I remember it started with Steve and John sending riffs dorsum and along to each other. We are geographically challenged now so the tape was basically written over text and email. It was definitely a process for a while but once we got in the aforementioned room, everything came together and we were all surprisingly on the aforementioned page.
What's the plan for Morning Over again in terms of touring and/or playing one-offs?
I remember the plan is to practice as much as possible within our schedules. No touring but one off shows and festivals. So far in 2019, nosotros are playing FYA Fest in Florida in January and Hellfest in France in June. Still working out the remainder of the twelvemonth.
When and how did yous get-go tattooing?
I started tattooing in my early 20s with a shitty machine and a lot of very trusting/stupid friends [laughs]. I started, seriously, when I was thirty. Pretty belatedly in the game to showtime an apprenticeship, I suppose. I was pretty much done playing music at the time and was really tired of working in java shops. I was getting older and needed to do something I enjoyed that I could turn into a career and take care of my family. Luckily, tattooing has immune me to give my kids a good life and has given me the freedom to do things in life that I love to do. I can even so express myself through my art and travel and meet new people and see the world.
There are so many people from the hardcore world who tattoo. For instance, Civ did all of my earlier tattoos. How often exercise yous get customers who come in that find out about you through your musician work?
I have washed a few Morning Once more tattoos and take tattooed some people who were fans of the band. Then, it happens on occasion but obviously not as much as it does for Civ [laughs]. Almost people I tattoo don't know that side of me. When they find out about the old bands or hear me sing, they're always shocked. They usually say something like "I can't believe that voice came out you." I judge cause I'm usually quiet and laid dorsum or but making jokes, so I get why they might be surprised.
Nosotros're all familiar with some of the drawbacks of being in a hardcore band (losing your job to continue tour, bad shows, etc.), but what are some of the things about tattooing that drive you lot nuts?
Most the only thing about tattooing I dislike is the inconsistency of business. I know some artists are consistently busy but I'k still making a name for myself, so I never really know what I'll make calendar week to week in some seasons. That'southward really my only complaint about it. Other than that, I dearest existence able to accept something from an idea to a sketch to a fully rendered tattoo. I dear the process, I love the history of tattooing .I feel very lucky to have information technology in my life.
At i betoken, you had mentioned that you had been working on a new band called Veiled in Sorrow.
It's indefinitely on the back burner [laughs[. The person who I wrote with for that is now concentrating on writing music for movies and total orchestra pieces.
Lastly, if you had to play one Morning time Again vocal from the existing discography that all-time captures the band's spirit to someone who has never heard yous earlier, what would it be and why
If someone wants to hear the band I would normally play "Dictation of Beauty" or "Stones,: Musically, I think they are very powerful and lyrically I feel information technology covers important issues that still demand to be addressed.
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Morning Again's Survival Instinct EP is out now via Revelation Records. Hitting upwardly Kevin at Blackness Cloud Tattoo at (937) 952-5621 for an engagement.
Tagged: dead blue sky, morning once again, waking kills the dream
Source: https://www.noecho.net/interviews/kevin-byers-morning-again-interview
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