When you are a college student, finding enough time to keep a part-time job while maintaining a decent GPA can be a bitch. It’s a must, though, if you’re on your own financially and you want to have enough cash to sustain anything resembling a social life. When you’re a musician in college, however, that whole dynamic can become a different, much more demanding animal. Finding the time and the drive to balance school, work, writing, playing gigs, and, ideally, having a tour schedule is enough to bring the most diligent person to the brink. And with stress levels running high, it can be especially tough to chill out enough to get those good creative vibes going, and come up with music that is worth listening to.
When I found out that the guys in Richmond, Virginia's Tough Luck were doing all of those things, I was impressed, to say the least, and mighty proud of the hardcore kids from my favorite city. Four of the five members of Tough Luck are full-timers at VCU, and one is still in high school. On top of that, they all work jobs, and still regularly come together to make some crushing hardcore music. They released an EP, The Fifth Column, last year and are working on getting a U.S. tour underway. They’ll be playing United Blood Fest at Kingdom at the end of this month, and I sincerely hope that you already have your ticket.
Lucas Thornton (Vocals), Kyle Huddleston (Bass) and Sam Deyerle (Guitar) were kind enough to answer some questions during some of their down time. Mike and Ian (Guitar and Drums) were off annihilating something somewhere.
First off, everyone online says that you’re writing some great music for guys who are “so young." I saw it like five times on Tumblr. How old are you guys?
Lucas: [Laughs] We always get that, and I guess we’re the young kids of the Richmond scene, but I don’t think we’re as young as everyone thinks. I’m almost 20. All of us are over 18, but we did start pretty young. I think I was 16 and Kyle was like 14 when we officially started as Tough Luck.
Kyle: I’m 18. Me and Sam have been in few other bands since we were about 15.
Sam: I’m 18. I've been playing in bands since I was 13 though. I always feel like I have to be doing a band.
How’d you all meet?
Lucas: Me, Sam and Kyle have been friends for a minute. We were in a band before Tough Luck, so we’ve known each other for like 5 years now. Mike and Ian we met at shows, and from seeing them play in other bands and shit.
Kyle: I’ve been hanging around Sam [since] before I could walk, so something like 18 years (laughs). I’ve known Lucas for probably 4 or 5 years, and we met at some documentary screening in Richmond and just started hanging out. I’ve known both Ian, our drummer, and Michael, our other guitarist, for about 3 years, just through mutual friends and shows.
Sam: I've known Kyle since I was 1. We've always been into the same stuff and he was another reason I got into hardcore. I met Lucas in 2008 when I joined another band that Kyle and Lucas were in. I met Michael and Ian because they were in another band called Deadbeat when Tough Luck first started. We played a lot of shows with them.
Online I’ve read you described as having sort of a “classic” hardcore sound. What do you think? Was this intentional?
Kyle: I definitely don’t think it was intentional in any way. We started this band not knowing one thing about what we were doing. I guess it’s harder to make connections to bands when it’s your own band, but I’ll take it as a compliment [laughs].
Sam: [laughs] I don't think we even really know what we sound like, but I would say that a lot of our influences are 80's hardcore bands. So yeah, I would say that it was pretty intentional.
What’s your touring experience been like?
Lucas: Touring has been both stressful and really fun. Nothing is cooler than driving all over the place with a bunch of your friends. But then again, sometimes nothing is worse than driving all over the place with a bunch of your friends who are all assholes. For example, first tour ever, we made a rule: no sleeping in the van. I like my sleep, so I fell asleep. Someone put a firework next to my head, and it went off. Sucked. So then I busted my friend's lip for revenge. That’s my tour story.
Kyle: [We] couldn’t be luckier with how good all of our shows have been. We did a week with United Youth, who are some of our friends from Wilkes-Barre, PA, and that was one of the coolest weeks of my life. The only time touring can suck is when shows fall through, but there’s nothing you can do about that. Overall we’re pretty lucky with how things have turned out.
Sam: Touring is awesome. If I could do it full time I would. It can definitely be stressful (leaving merch in other cities, gas expenses, lack of sleep). But we have the time of our lives on the road and we always forget about the stressful parts. As far as stories go, we've had so many including laxatives, Hondas, Niagara Falls. All too crazy to go into [laughs].
What are some venues that you try to play regularly?
Lucas: We’ve been playing Kingdom (originally Alley Katz) a lot since it opened back up. That’s always fun. That venue is just perfect for shows, and every show I go to there, whether we’re playing or not, has turned out awesome.
Kyle: Kingdom, Canal Club, houses, some other local spots I probably can’t think of. We always play this spot in Buffalo, NY that’s an old funeral home, and it’s probably my favorite venue.
Sam: I always love playing at Kingdom, because I saw so many shows there when I was in middle school and high school, before I was in bands, and I always thought it was the coolest. Out of town, I love The Funeral Home. It’s the perfect size for hardcore shows. We also recently played at Anchors Up in Haverhill, Massachusetts. That place was awesome.
What’s your songwriting process like?
Lucas: I just write lyrics all the time, so I always have something. Sam or Mike will come to practice with a riff, we’ll work it out, and I’ll find some lyrics that fit to it. Pretty simple.
Kyle: Sam and Michael are always writing riffs and different parts that they want to use, and it eventually gets thrown together somehow. In the past several months, our sound has gotten a lot more defined, which is really cool to see. I actually just learn the songs because I’m an idiot. But we all have a good idea of how we want something to sound, and have a pretty varied music taste, so it’s always worked out in our favor.
Sam: It’s different for every song, I feel like. On the last record, I would write a fast part and Lucas would write a cool breakdown, and then we would try to put it together. Recently, our guitarist Michael and our drummer Ian have been jamming a lot because they live together. Usually Michael comes up with a riff or two, and then I tweak it and we try to make it work.
What do you think of the hardcore scene in Richmond? How is it different from other cities?
Lucas: I love the Richmond scene. I think we are extremely lucky to be a band in Richmond. We've gotten so much help from everybody here, and the scene just seems like a huge family. We all know each other, and are all willing to help each other out in any way possible. I’m sure there are a lot of other cities out there with a scene like this. For example, Buffalo is amazing too. I have nothing but good things to say about that city’s scene, the bands from there, and the people who we’ve met from touring there. But I wouldn’t choose any city over Richmond if I had the choice.
Kyle: There’s not many places better, to me. There are so many young kids and different people from different areas living here. Some of the best modern HC bands live here. Shows are wild, and I guess it’s different from other areas because everyone for the most part is friends, and a lot of cool shit is always happening. There’s never been a macho attitude at shows for the most part, and that’s partly what keeps people coming back.
Sam: I think Richmond has one of the coolest hardcore scenes. We are fortunate enough to have the same 50 kids come to every show, regardless of the bill. There are a couple of things that make Richmond stand out to me; number one being the sheer number of bands. We have so many bands, some have demos and play Richmond twice a month, and some are on big labels that tour Japan and Europe. And the second thing is that we have so many straight edge kids. I've been told that Richmond has one of the biggest straight edge scenes in the country.
On that note, can you talk a little about how being straight edge has affected your life?
Lucas: I would go so far as to say it saved my life [laughs]. Before I started going to shows and hanging out with people who really showed me what it was, I was pretty far into drugs, and doing whatever I could to get fucked up. If it wasn’t for straight edge, fuck--I don’t know what kind of drugs I’d be doing right now.
Kyle: I’ve made more out of myself because of the decisions I’ve made being straight edge. Seeing some of the kids I’ve grown up [with] throw their lives away makes it that much more important to me. Definitely has been a positive thing in my life.
Sam: I think straight edge has given me a group of close friends that I would have never had as a dopehead. I also think being straight edge gives you a sense of self-respect and self-discipline that not many other people have.
What originally drew you to it?
Lucas: A lot of things drew me to being straight edge. My family has a history of alcoholism, and I’ve gone through some pretty bad times with drugs and alcohol. When I started hanging with more people who were straight edge, it kind of opened my eyes to the fact that you can have fun without that kind of stuff. Plus a lot of it smells godawful; I used to smoke cigarettes. I didn’t realize it made me smell like a dumpster.
Kyle: I've been straight edge for a little over 3 years. I just gradually became more aware of what it was when I started going to shows in middle school. I didn’t have many friends that said they were straight edge, and I had a lot of friends that were having a lot of issues with drugs, and family problems, because of it; so it just appealed to me over time. I guess doing something that threw people off was cool too.
Sam: I think skating really got me into punk, which then got me into hardcore, which then drew me into straight edge. I thought straight edge was cool because at the time I was seeing a lot of my friends and family members becoming victims of drugs and alcohol. I've been straight edge since 2009.
How does it make you feel when someone you know breaks edge?
Lucas: If it’s someone I’m really close to, it bums me out on a personal level. But I mean, it doesn’t ruin a friendship or anything. I’m not going to give up a great friendship just because my friend decided to drink a beer.
Kyle: Indifferent, maybe? I’m probably one of the few people that don’t care too much. People change, and that’s just how it is. It’s a letdown to see people lose touch with something they claim to have a huge interest and identification with, but it happens. Kids my age that say they're straight edge for a year or two are pretty common. Seeing people break edge in their 30s actually bums me out though.
Sam: It can definitely be a bummer at first, but at the end of the day I don't care. I've seen kids younger than me come and go, and I could care less about what they do now.
So how’d you meet David Wood?
Kyle: I met him when I started going to shows, and just became friends after that I guess. One of the coolest people I know. Down to Nothing is probably one of the reasons I’m straight edge in itself, but he’s at every show when he’s not on tour, and he’s helped out us in more ways than I can count. Solid dude.
Sam: I think the first time I met him was at a Pistol Bitch show at the Warehouse in 2010. When we were talking about who we wanted to do guest vocals on the record, his name came up right away. I hit him up and I remember him saying that he “would be honored,” and from then on I knew he was the coolest. When his bands are on a break, he is at every Richmond hardcore show, even if the shows are in a tiny basement. I think it's awesome that he goes to every show and continues to be heavily involved. He has been really too good to us and I have a lot of respect for him.
Have there been any lineup changes since you guys started?
Lucas: So many lineup changes it’s hard to keep track of. Most of the people we let go simply because shit just wasn’t working out. Everyone who has been in the band in the past we are still friends with and hang out with all the time, so there aren’t any hard feelings or anything. But the lineup we have right now is the best lineup we’ve ever had. We all work perfect together, and it’s never been so great to be in this band.
Kyle: We have gone through several drummers and a few mix-ups on guitar, some which just never worked out even if I wanted [it] to. The current lineup we have is our most solid to date, for sure.
Sam: We've been a band since 2009, and we're on our fourth drummer. It’s not that we ever beefed [with] any of our other members, but sometimes you just don't have good chemistry as a band.
Where have you toured? How many times have you toured?
Lucas: Man, I can’t give you a number for how many times, but we’ve been up and down the East Coast quite a few times. We’ve been to Philly, Buffalo NY--three times, I think. New Hampshire, Boston, Atlanta, both Carolinas, Maryland…all sorts of cool places [laughs].
Kyle: We have done a handful of East Coast tours, and a tour through the Northeast with Naysayer.
Sam: That was a lot of fun. We've toured with Break Away and United Youth in the past. And we've done a couple of weekends by ourselves. We didn't really start touring until last Spring, but since then we've been all up and down the East Coast.
What’s next for you guys? Any touring plans?
Lucas: We’re playing United Blood this year. That’s gonna be awesome, I can’t wait. We’re in the process of getting a US tour set up for the summer. I cannot wait for that. I’ve been to California, but never been to any states in the Midwest area, so I’m excited to travel across the US.
Kyle: We’re playing United Blood Festival in Richmond on March 30/31st. As for tour plans, we have a few weeks and weekends up until June, then we are doing a Full US tour.
Sam: We have a weekend coming up in NC with Free Will, and then a Midwest week coming up with Upperhand. We are also playing 2 big fests this year that we are really excited about. One is United Blood Fest, and the other is Sound and Fury Fest in California this summer.
By Joe C. (@thesubvocal)/thesubvocal.com