SIFT
is a metal band from the Bay area, California, USA. A tape
demo was reviewed in UnderWorld Issue#2 & their newest release, which is a
MCD was reviewed in Issue#3. Now, for the webzine, here is an interview answered
by Ted Aguilar (guitarist). Their style is a mixture of heavy metal, thrash
& groove metal with a touch of hardcore aggression & emotional vocal
power. ...a track from their MCD will be featured in the UnderWorld Compilation
CD-R #4...for more info & updated news, please visit their website, contact
& support them...if you think your trendy 'new' metal is good, this is
fucking better!!! Heavier & catchy!!! So read on fuckers!!! Oh.. this is not
'new' metal, they call it 'DARK ROCK'!!!
Hello Ted & to all of SIFT! How's everybody? What are the things that
are keeping you guys busy lately? Is living in the babe area truly a 'paradise'?
SIFT is keeping busy by writing new material & playing gigs. I wouldn't say the Bay (babe as you call it) Area is paradise, but it's home to us.
(ooops...I just mispelled it man..hehehe..-UW)
SIFT is a young band being formed in 1999. But with the great musical
output, I think each member has a longer metal history. Can you tell more about each members background & how SIFT came to be?
Each band member has a different musical background, but we share the common goal of playing heavy music. Danny, Chris & Brett came from a
Rock/Stoner music background. Badger comes from a Gothic/New wave background. Joe's musical taste range from KISS to Neurosis and I grew
up on the Bay Area/Underground thrash scene. Chris, Joe & Brett actually started SIFT. Danny is a long time friend of Chris & he came into the
picture to help with the percussions. I placed an ad out in a local magazine here in the Bay Area called "BAM Magazine". Chris was the one
that answered the ad. Badger came in a few months later and that's how SIFT was created.
Speaking of backgrounds..I know you have all the albums of 'Death
Angel' & later 'The Organization'. Would you say they are major influences? Are you connected with them in any way? How about SIFT's
other members, do they like those bands? What are the common influences of the band?
Death Angel has influenced me, personally. The Organization as well . I really like both bands. The songwriting and the vocal melodies are
incredible. Plus they are all great musicians. I recently got to jam with Death Angel at the Thrash of the Titans benefit gig for Chuck Billy
(Testament) last August. Gus Pepa (original guitarist) wasn't able to perform the benefit gig, so they asked me to fill in. That was probably
the best gig I've played. We have influences that come from many areas, which is what I think makes SIFT what it is today. Too much of the same
thing gets in the way of creativity and style.
Are all members originally from California? It is said that USA is a
country of migrants. You have a Philippine bloodline, do you know the other members original bloodline?
We are all from California, excluding Joe (guitarist) who is from Texas. (I think)
California have a varied social communities. But is it true that
racism is still an issue? Have you experienced such racial prejudice in your life there?
No. Racism is certainly still alive in some parts of America, but not so much in California. At least nothing were too aware of.
There is a difference between your promotional tape music & from your
new MCD. Well, I think you have shed off the doomy parts. How do you guys describe your music? I did try listening to some 'new' metal stuff
which I can't really get into but I hear a difference in your style. Do you consider yourself a part of that 'new' metal genre?
The difference between the first recording and the new recording is that the songs are shorter! Which is basically what we wanted to accomplish.
The first 3 song recording we did was a very good experience for us. We still like & play those songs and have maintained our overall style. We
realize that those songs were a bit long & draggy. So when we started writing for the new CD, we wanted to take the same element as the first
CD & make it straight to the point. The doomy parts are still there and more apparent. We are all very happy with the outcome of the CD. People
would describe our music as "Dark Rock".
Sift's music is not extreme metal. Some metal genre & punk are now
accepted in the commercial mainstream & even scooping lots of bucks from major labels. Why do you prefer to fully promote your music in the
underground rather than in the more mainstream environment? Is the mainstream a direction you want to go to in the future? What does the
underground metal scene mean to you?
We not only promote in the underground, but try to be visible in the mainstream as well. We don't want to limit ourselves or limit others
from our music. We would like to share our music with all people of all genres and hope they can enjoy and appreciate what we do. We may be a
metal band but we have elements of various styles and certainly have something to offer today's music trends.
I have a relative in California & the last time my Aunt & Uncle visit
the Philippines they said my cousin has become a some sort of a gun dealer for the
Philippine community there. Do you think a gun is a real
necessity? Yeah we all should protect our fucking lives, but like me when I have a gun I wanted to shoot at something, don't you? Have you
tried firing a gun? If yes, how do you feel after firing it?
I'm not a big fan of carrying guns. I've shot a gun before & it really didn't do anything for me. I don't think having a gun is a necessity
here. But then again, that's just my opinion.
How would you describe California's metal scene? Is it as varied as
the beautiful ladies out there? Does the metal scene there co-exist with the punk scene? Have you played in a mixed gig either with punks or the
extremist of metal like grind/death/gore/black?
California's metal scene is picking up again after a lull. But, it seems right now that most metal bands are doing the same thing, making the
same hip hop metal sound. (I guess that the fucking trend!
Same shit here!!!-UW) There are some great bands that do this well, but SIFT is trying to step outside of that and bring something new and
refreshing to the metal scene. We have played gigs with many types of bands, from punk to, pop, reggae, death/grind metal and more.......and
have had a good response with every crowd.
I think when people hear CA the 1st thing that came to mind are
boob-rich girls, beaches, beach bums & thrashers. What is the 1st thing that came to your mind when you hear
Philippines, manila or pinoy metal?
The 1st thing that comes to mind when I hear about Philippines or Manila is the HOT weather, traffic and cover bands!
You were here last December. I thought you still have that
philippine-english accent but hell you talk like true blooded American. If I knew, I could have spoken in my pseudo Romanian accent, "I am the
count..." hehehe...do you still speak Filipino? How was your trip back then? Would you recommend to your friends to visit the Philippines? Are
there plans of coming back?
Nope..I don't speak the native language. I'm American born and have only been to the P.I. twice. But I had a great time while I was in the
Philippines. I really enjoyed Cavite City, Baguio & Palawan. Didn't really enjoy Manila that much. Too crowded. But I plan to go back &
visit other parts of the Philippines like Cebu, Bicol & make another trip back to Palawan. Yes, I would recommend it to my buds here in America.
Do you like booze? How many members are into it? How do you get your
highs?
I don't drink any sort of booze. The rest of the band drinks socially, but they are not drunks. We get our high just by jamming & hanging out
making fun of each other.
I remember you told me you met Killjoy of Necrophagia when they
played there. I'm a fan of that fucker so would you tell how was it? Did he try to suck your brains out or just bite you? Are any of you into
gore, horror or just plain sick & demented stories?
I met Killjoy and Dan Lilker (S.O.D./Brutal Truth) once at a friends house. Those guys are really cool. Killjoy is a down to earth person.
You wouldn't expect that considering the stuff he's done with Necrophagia. Dan Lilker is also the same. They're good friends with
Scott Sargent (Skinlab, Killing Culture) and Mike Murphy (Exodus manager and Skinlab's stage manager) who are really good friends of mine.
Can you tell the symbolism of the one hand in the cover of your CD?
How does it represent or correlate to Sift's music? How about the tracks in the CD, do they have a relation to each other or a track is a 'stand
alone' set of ideas & emotion?
The hand on the cover doesn't symbolize anything. It was something Badger (bass player) came up with. We all like the look and feel of the
cover. It has no meaning behind it. For the most part, the songs are all "stand alone" tracks. In each song, Chris writes and sings about
various things, emotions and experiences.
Can you describe how SIFT comes up with a track? Which usually comes
1st, the lyrics or the music? How does the music formed, I mean have you created something that came out thru a 'just jamming' rehearsal or
someone tells you guys specifics like 'I want this kind of riff" stuff?
A lot of the writing is done by Chris, Joe & Brett. They get together &
bounce ideas off each other. Then they present it to the rest of the band. Danny & I usually have arrangement ideas & piece things together.
Chris, Joe & Brett are always writing. Sometimes when we all get to the rehearsal studio, we plug in & just jam whatever comes to each others
minds. Sometimes you get the best ideas that way. That's how "Collapse" came together. But usually the music comes first. Whatever it is, it works.
What can you say about the terrorist attack in NY & the Anthrax mail
attacks. How did this affect you guys personally? or the band? Where were you at the time of the incident? Do you know any one who died or
got hurt in that incident?
Terrorist attacks.. no comment...this shit is ridiculous. Fortunately, the band did not know anyone personally that got hurt in the incident.
Although, that doesn't make the tragedy any less tragic.
Why do you think terrorist hate the US so much? Do you think that
makes it harder for you, being Asian blooded where you can be a subject of racism there & an
American where you can be a target of terrorist
elsewhere?
Terrorists...no comment. I don't see how this makes it harder for me as an Asian-American in any way, at least in the US and especially in the
Bay Area. People here are not as racist and close minded as you could find in other parts of the US. Maybe this is different for other
individuals in other areas. I'm sure it is.
Now, lets go back to the music...is there a plan of a full length
release? Have any label shown their interest to SIFT? What basically are the things you look for a label?
No plans to release a full length at the moment. We're going to try & promote this 4 song demo CD as much as we can. Get it out there to as
many magazines & fanzines possible. A few small labels have shown a little interest, but nothing has resulted from that. What SIFT is really
looking for in a label? We would have to say a label who is really excited about the band & willing to take it to the next level and are in
a position to give us the promotion we need.
I am more into the extreme Metal but I listen to all sorts of Metal.
How is the response of the fanzine to SIFT's music? Have you sent out your stuff to big metal mags like Metal Maniacs, SOD, etc..how about in
Europe, do you get a good response from there? or here in the Philippines? How many metal heads here in the
Philippines are you in
contact with?
So far the responses have been great. We've sent out a lot of CD's overseas & the US. We've gotten good reviews from Rock Hard (Germany),
Metal Judgment (US) to name a couple. We've sent a few to the Philippines (Underworld & Scrawlshop zine). We haven't been in any
contact with any metal heads in the PI, but I hear a lot of good things about Sky Church.
(Ugh..who?...haha.. that reminds me I still haven't send you the tape right? -
UW) I downloaded an mp3 of theirs & it sounds KILLER!! I'm
still trying to find out how I can get a hold of a Sky Church demo.
What's next for SIFT? Do you have any goal for the band? How far &
how long do you guys want to be together as SIFT? Besides playing gigs & rehearsing, do you guys hang out just to have fun?
The goal for this band is try to take it as far as we can. Hopefully the next level (signing a record deal, maybe). We plan to be together for
awhile. We think we've come a long way in a short time, but we still have a long road ahead of us. But over all, we as a band have a great
time together (on & off stage). We do hang out when we are not doing any band oriented events. That's very important.
What is the worst day of SIFT? What is the best fucking day? Have
you experienced the feeling, either personal or as a band, where you can say 'FUCK, I'M SO HAPPY & FULFILLED I COULD FUCKING DIE TODAY!!'?
The worst day SIFT ever experienced was when my guitar rig didn't work at a gig. I thought my amp blew up & we were all concerned. So...we
didn't even get to play. But it was a loose wiring in my pedals. And I didn't realize that until we had rehearsal a couple of days later. It's
funny to look back at it now & laugh, but at the moment it totally sucked. Other than that, all our gigs have been fun. No regrets!!!!
Well, OK, I have to die now...Thanks Ted & to all of SIFT! Please give
more news/info about anything, upcoming releases/gigs, your contact info or a gorgeous babe's contact info..hehehe... MORE POWER TO YOU ALL!!!
Thanks for the interview Roy.
You can log on to our website www.siftinfo.com
to get the latest news on SIFT. Or you can email us at hatemail@siftinfo.com
We have a 4 song demo CD for sale through our website. The cost of the CD (including shipping cost) is $8.00 (US Funds ONLY). You can send your
order to
SIFT
25125 Santa Clara Street #198
Hayward, California 94544-2109
U.S.A.
Note: International money orders payable to Chris Dinsmore
We will have other merchandise for sale real soon, like t-shirts & sweatshirts. So check our website site often.
Tracks on the demo are 1) Collapse 2) Random 3)
Lionfish & 4) Blossom. Contact them now!
