Originated: 05/12/01

Updated: 11/14/01
Two pics of Diecast from the Milwaukee Metalfest XV following this interview!

Boston is filled with hardcore bands - so many in fact that it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. Diecast is one of the newer ones - and certainly one of the most promising. Their latest album is called Day Of Reckoning, and it's musical diversity and thoughtful lyrics set them apart from the crowd. There's a lot going in with the band, and we decided to check in with vocalist Colin to find out more about their daze of reckoning.

Highwire Daze: First of all, tell me what you do in Diecast and how long the band has been together.

Colin: We've been together for about four years and I sing for the band.

HD: Tell me about the state of the current Boston music scene, and are there many places to play?

Colin: In terms of bands and music, Boston is really doing well right now. There are a lot of good bands from around here. There's so many bands that you can't even count 'em. But as terms of places to play, that's kind of rough right now. There's not really any all ages places right now because there's been a lot of lawsuits and stuff like that. Most of the shows are 18 plus, which is unfortunate cuz our crowd is mostly an all ages crowd - so we're trying to figure out what to do about that right now.

HD: You guys were scheduled to play out here in Los Angeles. What happened?

Colin: We were suppose to tour with this band Shutdown from New York City. I'm not sure what the real story is, but they apparently felt they weren't getting enough money for the tour. And pretty much three or four days before the tour started, they told us they weren't going. There were the headliners so that kind of put us in a bad spot. We've never headlined a tour before and we've only been out to the West Coast once. The promoters of the clubs said they didn't want to do the shows because there was no headliner. Half the dates got cancelled, and we really couldn't afford to go out there without all the dates, because we really needed the money. The gas money would have been so much that it wouldn't have even come close to being covered by what we were getting paid. So unfortunately we had to cancel it. We were pretty pissed.

HD: Are you guys going to come out here and play again?

Colin: Definitely. We've been out there once - this past August. The shows were great. The best part of the tour was the West Coast. We can't wait to go out again. We get e-mails from kids from there all of the time. So we're going to try and reschedule that.

HD: So is Day Of Reckoning your second album?

Colin: We had an EP out before this one. This is actually our first full-length album, but it's not our first album release.

HD: Yeah, cuz I wanted to ask if you were worried that the band might go through that famous second album slump that others tend to find?

Colin: No, not really. We actually found more of our own sound on this one. We developed our own niche. We're actually a lot happier with this one than we are with any of our other releases.

HD: Where did you get the ideas for a lot of the song lyrics?

Colin: A lot of the lyrics are about personal experiences I've gone through in my life that have had a dramatic impact in some way. I pretty much just write about what I know. Every once in awhile I write a song about a more general topic --but even if I write about something more general, it still in some way has a personal connection to me. If I wrote about something I don't know about, then I kind of feel like I'm faking the lyrics. Most of it is based on personal stuff.

HD: Tell me why the album is named Day Of Reckoning.

Colin: The name Day Of Reckoning is a good name that's easy to remember. And this is the kind of the album that we're trying to break out with and get everyone to know who we are. So we wanted to have a strong title that people could make synonymous with the name Diecast.

HD: There is also a song that bears the album title that you recorded. What is the idea behind those lyrics?

Colin: When we wrote the song, we didn't realize what kind of significance it was going to have. But that song is about having a tight knit group of friends and having friends that you can trust that are loyal and will do anything for you. That song came to have a special meaning for the band because in November, two of the band's closest friends passed away. They were only 21 and it was a real shock. That song has become like a real personal song for us. That song is about kids like those two friends of ours that died. It's like an anthem to our friends.

HD: I noticed there is a picture of the two guys and that you dedicated the album to them.

Colin: Yeah. The one on the right, Dave (Kinosian) was our roadie for like a million shows and he was pretty much the best friend of the band, so that was tough. He actually died at a show, so that was pretty tough. And our other friend Danny (Edge) - when I moved to Boston, he was one of the first people I had met. So I had been friends with him for a long time. November was a rough month.

HD: Tell me about the song Solace and your idea of a supreme being.

Colin: When I was growing up I was raised Catholic and I pretty much took everyone's word that there was a supreme god. As the years have gone by, I've started to question that. A bunch of bad stuff has happened to me and my family - and it's just made me think about if there was such thing as god, then why is there needless suffering? As I started rolling that around in my head, I came up with my own theory about creation. I'm not trying to push this on anybody - it's just what I came up with to justify the fact that I was kind of losing faith in religion. The way I see things is that there is probably a force or entity that creates things in the universe but I don't think it's aware that it exists. I don't think it's aware that it has creative powers - I just think it creates things. And I think after it creates something, it has no vested interest in what it's done. That's like my version of what a god would be.

HD: What do you think about the various hardcode Christian bands that are surfacing?

Colin: With the exception of that song Solace, I pretty much stay away from religion in general because I don't really think about it that often. But I support anyone who believes in something and uses a medium like music to get their message out. I definitely respect bands that do that - even if I don't necessarily support the same message, I can respect the fact that they're trying to get it out. I think a lot of those bands make great music, like Stretch Armstrong.

HD: What do you think has set Diecast apart from other hardcore bands?

Colin: I don't know to be honest. We try to sound as different as we possibly can. We try to make every song it's own story and make it sound completely different from the last song we wrote. I think there are a lot of bands out there - they are great bands but they'll write an album and I wouldn't be able to tell one song from another. We try and make each song different. We also put singing in there and that helps us stand out. And also the drums - Jason is probably one of the best drummers I've ever seen - It's always fun to watch him play.

HD: So Chelsea Clinton invites Diecast to play two songs for her next sorority party. What two songs would you play for Chelsea and why?

Colin: I guess I'd play Day Of Reckoning, only because it's a good party song. And I'd play Remember The Fallen too because that song is about Vietnam Vets and how they got mistreated when they came home. The reason I wrote about that is because my father was a Vet, and when he came home, he got spit on at the airport. And I tried to imagine what it would be like to be home - to come back after you've done service for your country and have your country hate you. I'm not in favor of war in anyway, but that would be a good little stab at Clinton just because he dodged the draft. I think that would be funny.

HD: So who's better? Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera?

Colin: I think in terms of singing, Christina Aguilera is a much better singer that Britney Spears. If you ask our guitarist John he would shoot me because he loves Britney Spears. But I'd definitely have to go with Christina Aguliera. I think she's a lot more sexier than Britney Spears too. There's something about Britney Spears - her eyes are too far apart or something - I don't know what it is - she looks like a bug.

HD: Does Diecast have any groupies showing up at your gigs?

Colin: Let's see - how do I answer that question? I wouldn't say groupies. People have fun sometimes. I have a girlfriend so I never partake in any of that stuff. But there's been some wild craziness after some shows. And that's pretty much all I can say about that…

HD: If there was one thing you'd like someone to remember after hearing your music, what would it be?

Colin: After someone listens to our CD, I'd like them to think that it was something a little different than what they're use to hearing. I want them to be able to remember the melodies and the songs - and be able to distinguish one song from another. I don't want someone to listen to a Diecast CD and think it was one fifty-minute song. I want people to be able to take away certain parts of the songs and remember them. And I want people to keep coming back and listening to it.

HD: What are the future plans for Diecast?

Colin: We're going to tour as much as possible to support the album. We're going to tour the US before and during the summer. And I think after that, we're going to hit Europe and then we'll probably come back and tour some more. We're trying to get on some high profile metal tours, so we're kind of waiting to hear back on a couple of those. Whether or not we get on a couple of those will determine our touring schedule.

HD: Do you have any messages for people who might be interested in checking out your music?

Colin: Yeah, just give it a fair listen. Listen to it with an open mind. Anyone who has heard our previous stuff - it's a little bit different - I think it's a lot better, but you gotta be ready for the fact that it's a lot more polished. The songs are a lot more structured. A lot of the songs are different, so listen to the whole CD through before you make your final judgement.

DIECAST AT MILWAUKEE METALFEST XV

Photo Credit: Kenneth Morton