Shotpointblank

Interviewed By Michael Veganarchy for the Abolitionist-Online

For those who are unfamiliar with Shotpointblank they are a hardcore band from Adelaide. Whilst they are not necessarily a vegan band, the issue of veganism is important to members of this band. They have released two records “Kill….Breathe….Kill” and “Heart of a Disbeliever” and both were received with massive popularity amongst both the Australian and International Hardcore Scenes.

One review on Surprise Attack Records states:

“Hailing from Adelaide, Australia, Shotpointblank formed in late 1999 and play a hard, fast and aggressive brand of hardcore fusing traditional ‘core with elements of metal, hints of melody, and crunching dance parts and breakdowns. Lyrically the band is not afraid to speak their mind retaining the heartfelt honesty that the hardcore scene has built itself up on. Finding a common ground between the individual beliefs of the various members which range from straightedge to veganism, and use it to confront issues that face us all as individuals and as society as a whole.”

Michael Veganarchy caught up with drummer and dedicated vegan Luke Weber to share his thoughts and tell us a bit about Shotpointblank.

MV: So give us a rundown of who is in Shotpointblank, how long you guys played for and which of the members live a vegan lifestyle?

LW: Shotpointblank consists of 4 people that all have a variety of different beliefs and lifestyles. We are all hardcore kids that have come together out of love for the scene and the passion of hardcore. Shotpointblank has been around for around close to 7 years, but has had many line up changes until we solidified the line up we have today and have had for around 2 and a half years now. Brett and myself are both vegan and Jay is vegetarian. We all hold our beliefs as a personal thing and they do not represent what our band is about. We feel our band is means for all four of us to come together despite the differences we have, and we feel this is what makes our band work the way it is.

MV: Did having Joel in the band make it difficult at all for the rest of guys, with three vegan sxe members and a member who was none of the above? Any discussion or incident take place on tour that sticks out in your memory?

LW: None at all, Joel has always had nothing but respect for us and we have nothing but the same in return for him. Joel is an amazing person who always keeps the vibe of our tours alive with constant jokes and impersonations. He always makes me look forward to tour that much more.

MV: That’s pretty cool, I was playing with some mates and I got a bit annoyed because they tried to make fun of my beliefs. Joel is obviously a pretty good guy to jam with. You guys have done a lot of touring nationally and a recent tour of the US. How hard did you find getting a vegan meal both here and overseas? Is the US more "vegan-friendly" in terms of easily getting something to eat when on tour?

LW: It’s never super easy to eat well on the road if you are vegan. It normally ends up being subway veggie patty sandwiches. We do try to prepare for tours with some pre-made/bought food and take that to eat along the way but most times we just wait until we reach the major cities to get a good meal. In the US it is much easier. There are loads of fast food places like Taco Bell and Denny's which all serve vegetarian options...bean Burritos, tacos, Burgers, hash browns etc. vegan options in America are huge though, its a lot easier for sure... I guess I answered that one in the last answer I gave. American vegan options are really good...even stuff that doesn’t mean to be vegan can sometimes be probably due to the fact the companies are trying to make their products more cheaply...I’m not really sure, but we found a lot of junk food that we could eat that was all ok.. and when you are in major cities like New York City or Philadelphia or in California then you’re in for a real treat. Some of those places have some of the most amazing vegan restaurants I have ever eaten at...

MV: Was veganism ever an issue that got raised in the lyrics for Shotpointblank? Or was it all kept at a more personal level?

LW: Shotpointblank is not a vegan band and we haven’t written any songs based on veganism.

MV: You toured with Most Precious Blood who are a vegan band, as well as many international bands who were not. Did you find the MPB guys and girl different to tour with compared to bands that did not lead a cruelty free lifestyle?

LW: It was definitely cool to tour with a band that really stood strong on their beliefs and it was awesome to have animal liberation stalls at most shows but every tour with an international band we have done has been amazing in its own way. We have been lucky enough to tour with some classic bands that have been important in the growth of hardcore over the last 15-20 years such as Sick of it All and Madball and it was just as much a good experience to tour with classic older bands like that as it was to tour with a band like MPB that shares many similar views and ideas to us.

MV: Shotpointblank had some animal rights stalls at their shows. How did you think the kids reaction to this was? Do you think that animal rights has a place in hardcore punk?

LW: Although not everyone in hardcore is a vegetarian I definitely think veganism is a huge part of hardcore and a lot of our generation have probably been more exposed to it from hardcore and punk bands than from any other means. Its always been apart of it and as much as its probably not as big a part of it now as it maybe was in the mid to late nineties I still think it will always be a part of hardcore in the future. The only time SPB has ever had stalls was on the MPB tour I think and they were more organised by them and as far as I saw quite a few kids were checking the stalls out so I assume some kids got something out of them. Once again and for the record we are not a vegan band and do not promote it as band, only individually.

MV: Could you please tell everyone about your "VEGAN" tattoo? Where you got it and why you decided on getting this tattooed on yourself?

LW: I got my vegan tattoo around 2002 I think. I got it just after I saw the Earth Crisis DVD “Forever True” which inspired me to get a little crazy and show my dedication to what I believe. Earth Crisis have always been a band that really were sincere about their message and the DVD of their last show showed just how heartfelt they were about it all and how much they meant to other people, so in a sense it was a tattoo to show my love for veganism as well as Earth Crisis.

MV: Any other animal rights related tattoos on any other band members?

LW: Brett has a Vegan tattoo with a dagger slicing through a tomato which he got in NYC when we were out there...I think that’s about it.

MV: was there any significant event in your life that made you make the decision to go vegan? Was it a step by step process (eg vegetarianism than veganism) or did you make the leap in one step?

LP: I went vegan after hearing bands like Gorilla Biscuits, Earth Crisis and a few others who sang about it and made me think about animal rights...I didn’t know many vegetarians at all let alone vegans so it was definitely a little overwhelming to start with. So I guess it was the bands that got me started but as time went on I started becoming really interested in it and I met more people that were too and it all went from there. I was vegetarian for 2 weeks when I was 17 and then I went vegan....

MV: Without getting into it too much have any of the Shotpointblank guys got into the animal rights movement?

LW: We all support animal rights by being vegetarian and vegan, I try to promote it as much as I can online or if people ask and want to know, but we aren’t out protesting or anything, I totally support being active and doing all we can to stop the abuse of animals and it is something maybe in the future with a little more time I would like to be more a part of, but for now I feel what I/ we are doing is enough for the moment.

MV: What is your understanding of abolition In terms of the animal rights struggle?

LW: I guess it’s just the struggle to end the suffering of animals and the senseless torture and brutality we inflict on them.

MV: How did the parents react to your decision to go vegan?

LW: My mum has always been very supportive from day one...I couldn’t have asked for more support with any of my beliefs.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. Good luck for the future.