interview with Gross Misconduct
What´s the name of your band? Gross Misconduct
How was the band formed? The three founding members, Jesse Brint, John Kurucz and David London, are all originally from the same city (it’s called Nanaimo) on Vancouver Island, on the west coast of Canada. We played our first show as a band in the winter of 1999, but began playing together about a year before that. We were introduced through mutual friends and came together around our mutual admiration of the bands we all liked when we first started playing music together – Metallica, Death, Iron Maiden, Slayer and Black Sabbath, to name a few.
Can you tell about your band? We have been categorized in a number of different ways: death metal, thrash metal, progressive metal. We’ve also been compared to a number of bands over the years; some of those comparisons make sense and others do not. I just say we are a heavy metal band and let people decide what we sound like on their own.
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band? There are three of us in the band at the moment, and we are searching for a new bass player. The three remaining members – David London, John Kurucz and Jesse Brint – are all from Nanaimo, Canada. David plays guitar and sings lead vocals, Jesse plays guitar and does backup vocals, John plays the drums.
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? We did not set out with any pre-conceived notions or goals. We wanted to play the music that we enjoyed writing and playing, and have fun doing it. 15 years later, our goals are still the same and we enjoy writing and playing music together now as much as we ever have.
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? We have elements of death, thrash and progressive metal in our sound. Reviews have likened our sound to Death, Cynic, or early Metallica. Those are massive compliments for us. We are big fans of Death, Chuck Schuldiner and all the musicians who played in the band with Chuck (R.I.P.)
Where was your first gig? Our first gig was in mid December 1999. We played a house party in our hometown in Nanaimo, Canada. There was a pretty severe snowstorm that night, the house was very old and the electrical outlets were in terrible condition. David and Jesse almost got electrocuted many times. I also seem to remember us smoking enough hash to kill a small elephant that night.
Where was the latest gig? Our last gig was in August 2013, and we played in Vancouver, Canada with At the Gates. It was an honour to meet and play with some of our musical heroes.
Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? We all contribute to the songwriting process. A song is never finished until everyone in the band is happy with the final product. David and John write the majority of the lyrics.
Who has the best since of humor in the band? We each have a healthy sense of humour and that’s probably one of the biggest reasons why we are still in a band together and remain good friends. Metal in particular can be a genre where sometimes humour is lost and people take themselves and the music too seriously. We are very serious when it comes to rehearsing and playing live, but outside of those two situations, we like to crack a beer and joke around like we’re still 16 years old.
What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? The only bad thing with our band right now is the fact that we don’t have a bass player at the moment. As for the genre we play, we play heavy metal.
Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? We picked heavy metal because it is an all-encompassing genre that allows the musician to convey a vast array of emotions and cover a huge amount of musical territory. Our lyrics are personal interpretations of the world we live in, the experiences we have and the people we meet.
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? We write all of our material. We have played a few cover songs live over the last 15 years: Postmortem/Raining Blood/Black Magic by Slayer, Snowblind by Black Sabbath and Here Come the Bastards by Primus.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they?
How was the band formed? The three founding members, Jesse Brint, John Kurucz and David London, are all originally from the same city (it’s called Nanaimo) on Vancouver Island, on the west coast of Canada. We played our first show as a band in the winter of 1999, but began playing together about a year before that. We were introduced through mutual friends and came together around our mutual admiration of the bands we all liked when we first started playing music together – Metallica, Death, Iron Maiden, Slayer and Black Sabbath, to name a few.
Can you tell about your band? We have been categorized in a number of different ways: death metal, thrash metal, progressive metal. We’ve also been compared to a number of bands over the years; some of those comparisons make sense and others do not. I just say we are a heavy metal band and let people decide what we sound like on their own.
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band? There are three of us in the band at the moment, and we are searching for a new bass player. The three remaining members – David London, John Kurucz and Jesse Brint – are all from Nanaimo, Canada. David plays guitar and sings lead vocals, Jesse plays guitar and does backup vocals, John plays the drums.
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? We did not set out with any pre-conceived notions or goals. We wanted to play the music that we enjoyed writing and playing, and have fun doing it. 15 years later, our goals are still the same and we enjoy writing and playing music together now as much as we ever have.
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? We have elements of death, thrash and progressive metal in our sound. Reviews have likened our sound to Death, Cynic, or early Metallica. Those are massive compliments for us. We are big fans of Death, Chuck Schuldiner and all the musicians who played in the band with Chuck (R.I.P.)
Where was your first gig? Our first gig was in mid December 1999. We played a house party in our hometown in Nanaimo, Canada. There was a pretty severe snowstorm that night, the house was very old and the electrical outlets were in terrible condition. David and Jesse almost got electrocuted many times. I also seem to remember us smoking enough hash to kill a small elephant that night.
Where was the latest gig? Our last gig was in August 2013, and we played in Vancouver, Canada with At the Gates. It was an honour to meet and play with some of our musical heroes.
Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? We all contribute to the songwriting process. A song is never finished until everyone in the band is happy with the final product. David and John write the majority of the lyrics.
Who has the best since of humor in the band? We each have a healthy sense of humour and that’s probably one of the biggest reasons why we are still in a band together and remain good friends. Metal in particular can be a genre where sometimes humour is lost and people take themselves and the music too seriously. We are very serious when it comes to rehearsing and playing live, but outside of those two situations, we like to crack a beer and joke around like we’re still 16 years old.
What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? The only bad thing with our band right now is the fact that we don’t have a bass player at the moment. As for the genre we play, we play heavy metal.
Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? We picked heavy metal because it is an all-encompassing genre that allows the musician to convey a vast array of emotions and cover a huge amount of musical territory. Our lyrics are personal interpretations of the world we live in, the experiences we have and the people we meet.
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? We write all of our material. We have played a few cover songs live over the last 15 years: Postmortem/Raining Blood/Black Magic by Slayer, Snowblind by Black Sabbath and Here Come the Bastards by Primus.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they?
We have 2 albums out now, and our third album will be released at some point in 2015.
The Process of Indoctrination -- 2007 The Disconnect -- 2011
Do you have any clips on YouTube? www.youtube.com/grossmisconductmetal
How old are you?/What got you started in music? John is 35, David is 37 and Jesse is 34. I got into music at an early age, I was lucky to have older friends in my neighbourhood who exposed me to some really cool bands when I was in elementary school. That passion stuck with me until I was old enough to get my own drum set and my love for metal has been there since I was 7 or 8 years old. I love music now just as much as I did back then.
At what age did you start playing? John – 16 Jesse – 15 David -- 13
How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? John – 18 David --- 18 Jesse -- 16
What year was the band started? 1999
What places will you be playing in the immediate future? Our plans for 2015 are up in the air right now, mainly because we don’t have a bass player at the moment. We are also very close to completing our new album, so we are very focused on finishing the writing process so we can start planning the recording process.
Where have you played from then till now? We have played in most major cities in Canada.
Which band is the best you´ve seen? Primus. Nobody sounds like Primus, and nobody ever will. Tim Alexander is one of my favourite drummers and Les Claypool is … Les Claypool. They are phenomenal musicians, and the visual aspect of their show is as impressive as the music they play.
Is it always the same songs live? No, we change our setlist up a bit for most gigs. Sometimes the first song will remain the same for a bunch of gigs consecutively, but we try to change things up.
What has been the best/most promising gig so far? We played with Amon Amarth in December 2007. That was the biggest crowd we’ve ever played in front of (about 1,100 people) and the energy in the crowd was amazing. That show exposed us to many, many new fans and it was a good test for us in terms of playing in front of such a large audience. Outside of that gig, we have been very lucky to share the stage with many bands we really admire: The Haunted, At the Gates, Napalm Death, Martyr, Brutal Truth, Forbidden, Fuck the Facts, Augury, Neuraxis and many more.
Have you had any bigger tours from start to now? We toured the western part of Canada with Martyr and Neuraxis in 2007 and toured across most of Canada with Fuck the Facts and Neuraxis in 2008.
How big crowds do you usually play for? The crowd size depends on a few different factors: the size of the venue, other gigs that are happening on the same night, how competent the promoter is, etc. We have played for 3 people, and we’ve played for 1,000+ people.
What are the plans for the rest of the year? To finish writing the last few songs for our new album, begin writing the lyrics, and figure out where and when we will record it.
Where do you usually play? We mostly play in Vancouver, but we’ve played in almost every mid-size/large city in our province (British Columbia), and in most major cities across Canada.
How do you get psyched up for a gig? I don’t get myself psyched up. I try to be as calm as possible right before going on stage. I make sure my breathing and heart rate are in check, and try to remain calm and focused while playing my drums.
What are your goals with your music? To have fun. We have been doing this for a long time, so we don’t have any aspirations of getting rich from playing heavy metal. We keep things realistic. Plus, if something isn’t fun, there is no point in doing it.
When did you decide to go all in for the music? The day I was born, bro!
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Both. We will always love the bands that first got us interested in heavy metal, but it’s also inspiring to hear newer bands offer a more modern take on the bands that we grew up loving. When I first started playing drums, I never thought music could get heavier than Slayer. But now I listen to Origin. Both bands inspire me equally.
What are your sources of inspiration? Mainly music, but also life in general – the people you meet, the places you travel, and the experiences you have throughout life that shape how you think and perceive the world around you.
What's the first step when making a new song? David or Jesse will present a series of riffs that sound like they have something in common, and then we get together and start piecing all of those elements together. Once the structure of the song is set, I work on my drum patterns and start thinking about lyrics: where they will go in the song and various topics for them to be about. While that’s happening, David and Jesse compose their guitar solos and also contribute ideas around what the lyrics will be about and where they will go in the song.
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums?
I will always buy albums rather than download music. I like having the artwork and lyrics and reading who the musicians in the bands are endorsed by/what type of gear they use. Naturally, I would prefer people to buy our music. We don’t make it for free and it costs a lot of money to put an album out. But the Internet is here and now, and there’s not a lot we can do if someone wants to steal our music for free. Hopefully they like what they hear and come check us out live.
What would be your dreams for the band? To get super, duper rich, never have to work a day job ever again and go on tour with bands we admire.
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? I listen almost exclusively to metal … and if not, music that has elements of metal in it. Bands outside of metal that I enjoy include Pink Floyd, Primus, The Police, Faith No More, the smalls and Led Zeppelin. David and Jesse listen to all different kinds of music — rap, bluegrass, country and everything else in between.
What do you hold most dear? My family, my friends, European beer, hockey and B.C. weed.
What would be your greatest fears for the future? I don’t think like that. Planning to be afraid of something is not healthy. Planning to have a plan, or planning to deal with something before it becomes a source of fear, is a better approach in my opinion.
When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? The soundguy/the P.A. at a club. You can be as prepared as you want, but if the soundguy doesn’t know what he’s doing, you’re in real big trouble.
Have you been in any other bands?
The Process of Indoctrination -- 2007 The Disconnect -- 2011
Do you have any clips on YouTube? www.youtube.com/grossmisconductmetal
How old are you?/What got you started in music? John is 35, David is 37 and Jesse is 34. I got into music at an early age, I was lucky to have older friends in my neighbourhood who exposed me to some really cool bands when I was in elementary school. That passion stuck with me until I was old enough to get my own drum set and my love for metal has been there since I was 7 or 8 years old. I love music now just as much as I did back then.
At what age did you start playing? John – 16 Jesse – 15 David -- 13
How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? John – 18 David --- 18 Jesse -- 16
What year was the band started? 1999
What places will you be playing in the immediate future? Our plans for 2015 are up in the air right now, mainly because we don’t have a bass player at the moment. We are also very close to completing our new album, so we are very focused on finishing the writing process so we can start planning the recording process.
Where have you played from then till now? We have played in most major cities in Canada.
Which band is the best you´ve seen? Primus. Nobody sounds like Primus, and nobody ever will. Tim Alexander is one of my favourite drummers and Les Claypool is … Les Claypool. They are phenomenal musicians, and the visual aspect of their show is as impressive as the music they play.
Is it always the same songs live? No, we change our setlist up a bit for most gigs. Sometimes the first song will remain the same for a bunch of gigs consecutively, but we try to change things up.
What has been the best/most promising gig so far? We played with Amon Amarth in December 2007. That was the biggest crowd we’ve ever played in front of (about 1,100 people) and the energy in the crowd was amazing. That show exposed us to many, many new fans and it was a good test for us in terms of playing in front of such a large audience. Outside of that gig, we have been very lucky to share the stage with many bands we really admire: The Haunted, At the Gates, Napalm Death, Martyr, Brutal Truth, Forbidden, Fuck the Facts, Augury, Neuraxis and many more.
Have you had any bigger tours from start to now? We toured the western part of Canada with Martyr and Neuraxis in 2007 and toured across most of Canada with Fuck the Facts and Neuraxis in 2008.
How big crowds do you usually play for? The crowd size depends on a few different factors: the size of the venue, other gigs that are happening on the same night, how competent the promoter is, etc. We have played for 3 people, and we’ve played for 1,000+ people.
What are the plans for the rest of the year? To finish writing the last few songs for our new album, begin writing the lyrics, and figure out where and when we will record it.
Where do you usually play? We mostly play in Vancouver, but we’ve played in almost every mid-size/large city in our province (British Columbia), and in most major cities across Canada.
How do you get psyched up for a gig? I don’t get myself psyched up. I try to be as calm as possible right before going on stage. I make sure my breathing and heart rate are in check, and try to remain calm and focused while playing my drums.
What are your goals with your music? To have fun. We have been doing this for a long time, so we don’t have any aspirations of getting rich from playing heavy metal. We keep things realistic. Plus, if something isn’t fun, there is no point in doing it.
When did you decide to go all in for the music? The day I was born, bro!
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Both. We will always love the bands that first got us interested in heavy metal, but it’s also inspiring to hear newer bands offer a more modern take on the bands that we grew up loving. When I first started playing drums, I never thought music could get heavier than Slayer. But now I listen to Origin. Both bands inspire me equally.
What are your sources of inspiration? Mainly music, but also life in general – the people you meet, the places you travel, and the experiences you have throughout life that shape how you think and perceive the world around you.
What's the first step when making a new song? David or Jesse will present a series of riffs that sound like they have something in common, and then we get together and start piecing all of those elements together. Once the structure of the song is set, I work on my drum patterns and start thinking about lyrics: where they will go in the song and various topics for them to be about. While that’s happening, David and Jesse compose their guitar solos and also contribute ideas around what the lyrics will be about and where they will go in the song.
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums?
I will always buy albums rather than download music. I like having the artwork and lyrics and reading who the musicians in the bands are endorsed by/what type of gear they use. Naturally, I would prefer people to buy our music. We don’t make it for free and it costs a lot of money to put an album out. But the Internet is here and now, and there’s not a lot we can do if someone wants to steal our music for free. Hopefully they like what they hear and come check us out live.
What would be your dreams for the band? To get super, duper rich, never have to work a day job ever again and go on tour with bands we admire.
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? I listen almost exclusively to metal … and if not, music that has elements of metal in it. Bands outside of metal that I enjoy include Pink Floyd, Primus, The Police, Faith No More, the smalls and Led Zeppelin. David and Jesse listen to all different kinds of music — rap, bluegrass, country and everything else in between.
What do you hold most dear? My family, my friends, European beer, hockey and B.C. weed.
What would be your greatest fears for the future? I don’t think like that. Planning to be afraid of something is not healthy. Planning to have a plan, or planning to deal with something before it becomes a source of fear, is a better approach in my opinion.
When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? The soundguy/the P.A. at a club. You can be as prepared as you want, but if the soundguy doesn’t know what he’s doing, you’re in real big trouble.
Have you been in any other bands?
John plays in an Iron Maiden cover band called Powerclown and a Pink Floyd cover band called Crazy Diamonds.
David also plays in two death/grind bands called Sinned and Crackwhore.
John and David are also in the process of starting a Faith No More cover band.
What do you work with outside of the band and the music? John is a writer, David sells guitars and Jesse works in sales.
What would you do if there was no music? I would move back to Vancouver Island, far away from anyone else and become a hermit.
How important are your fans? A lot of the people who come to our shows are our friends in some way, so it’s always awesome to hang out with your friends and have a sweet party and play some tunes for them. Of course, there will always be people at the gigs who have never seen us before, and we feel it’s extremely important to make an impression on anyone who comes to our concerts regardless of how many times that person has seen us perform.
What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you? We have signed some boobies and some bums in our day.
How often do you rehearse? Minimum twice a week as a band, but we all practice on our own as well.
Where do you rehearse? At a place called Sanctuary Studios in Vancouver. It’s like a haunted house blended into a rehearsal space. There are fake dead bodies everywhere, movie posters from old horror movies and even a life-sized Frankenstein. It’s pretty awesome.
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? Both of them are off of our new album, and neither song has lyrics/a title at the moment. But really, I like all of our songs both past and present.
What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? Fun. A lot of people I grew up with are busy having kids and leading lifestyles that don’t really appeal to me. That may bring them happiness, and if it does, that’s great and I’m happy for them. But I still feel the same way today about music as I did when I was 7 years old, and I don’t ever see that passion going away. As long as I have a drum kit and my friends to play music with, I will be content with my life regardless of how much money I make doing it.
Do you have any webpages?
www.facebook.com/GrossMisconductBand
What would you do if there was no music? I would move back to Vancouver Island, far away from anyone else and become a hermit.
How important are your fans? A lot of the people who come to our shows are our friends in some way, so it’s always awesome to hang out with your friends and have a sweet party and play some tunes for them. Of course, there will always be people at the gigs who have never seen us before, and we feel it’s extremely important to make an impression on anyone who comes to our concerts regardless of how many times that person has seen us perform.
What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you? We have signed some boobies and some bums in our day.
How often do you rehearse? Minimum twice a week as a band, but we all practice on our own as well.
Where do you rehearse? At a place called Sanctuary Studios in Vancouver. It’s like a haunted house blended into a rehearsal space. There are fake dead bodies everywhere, movie posters from old horror movies and even a life-sized Frankenstein. It’s pretty awesome.
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? Both of them are off of our new album, and neither song has lyrics/a title at the moment. But really, I like all of our songs both past and present.
What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? Fun. A lot of people I grew up with are busy having kids and leading lifestyles that don’t really appeal to me. That may bring them happiness, and if it does, that’s great and I’m happy for them. But I still feel the same way today about music as I did when I was 7 years old, and I don’t ever see that passion going away. As long as I have a drum kit and my friends to play music with, I will be content with my life regardless of how much money I make doing it.
Do you have any webpages?
www.facebook.com/GrossMisconductBand
www.grossmisconduct.net
Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? Practice your instrument and never stop learning. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Don’t say to yourself, “Well, we’re a death metal band, we can’t have that kind of riff in this song.” Do not start a band solely to make money. If you do, you will be very, very disappointed.
Describe your show, visually and musically Our shows are like a huge party with a bunch of our friends. Typically they are quite well attended, with ample moshing and people having a good time while we play songs that we really enjoy. I think the enjoyment and passion we have for our music shines through on stage: people can tell that we are sincere and appreciate the fact anyone cares about our music.
How do you view the music industry of today? Somewhat depressing, but we are insulated enough so that it doesn’t matter too much. As an independent band, we have no one to answer to but ourselves.
What are the biggest obstacles for a band? For a Canadian band, geography is the biggest problem. We live in the second biggest country in the world, travelling from one major city to the next can take 15 hours. On top of that, more than half the country is covered in snow and ice for half the year, so touring between October and March can be pretty risky in some parts of the country.
What is best/worst with playing the clubs? The best part is that the crowd is usually less than a metre away from you and there is instant interaction with everyone. The moshpits can get pretty crazy as well, and some of my favourite shows we’ve ever played have been totally chaotic club shows. The worst part about playing clubs is if the venue has a shitty P.A./sound system/sound guy. That can be a problem.
Tell us about upcoming gigs and why we should be at them? We don’t have any gigs booked at the moment.
How would you describe your sound in one sentence Gross Misconduct combines elements of many of metal’s subgenres, but is beholden to none.
What was one of the most quarrelsome times for you in the band? There are always times when disagreements come up. It’s like being married or in a family when you’re in a band. But we are adults and have been good friends for all of our adult lives. We always get past any difficulties that present themselves.
Whats your Pre-show ritual? I stretch, drink water, eat a banana and practice single stroke rudiments with my hands and feet.
Do you have anything to add? Thanks for your interest in our band! We’d love to come to Europe/Scandinavia and perform for new audiences.
Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? Practice your instrument and never stop learning. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Don’t say to yourself, “Well, we’re a death metal band, we can’t have that kind of riff in this song.” Do not start a band solely to make money. If you do, you will be very, very disappointed.
Describe your show, visually and musically Our shows are like a huge party with a bunch of our friends. Typically they are quite well attended, with ample moshing and people having a good time while we play songs that we really enjoy. I think the enjoyment and passion we have for our music shines through on stage: people can tell that we are sincere and appreciate the fact anyone cares about our music.
How do you view the music industry of today? Somewhat depressing, but we are insulated enough so that it doesn’t matter too much. As an independent band, we have no one to answer to but ourselves.
What are the biggest obstacles for a band? For a Canadian band, geography is the biggest problem. We live in the second biggest country in the world, travelling from one major city to the next can take 15 hours. On top of that, more than half the country is covered in snow and ice for half the year, so touring between October and March can be pretty risky in some parts of the country.
What is best/worst with playing the clubs? The best part is that the crowd is usually less than a metre away from you and there is instant interaction with everyone. The moshpits can get pretty crazy as well, and some of my favourite shows we’ve ever played have been totally chaotic club shows. The worst part about playing clubs is if the venue has a shitty P.A./sound system/sound guy. That can be a problem.
Tell us about upcoming gigs and why we should be at them? We don’t have any gigs booked at the moment.
How would you describe your sound in one sentence Gross Misconduct combines elements of many of metal’s subgenres, but is beholden to none.
What was one of the most quarrelsome times for you in the band? There are always times when disagreements come up. It’s like being married or in a family when you’re in a band. But we are adults and have been good friends for all of our adult lives. We always get past any difficulties that present themselves.
Whats your Pre-show ritual? I stretch, drink water, eat a banana and practice single stroke rudiments with my hands and feet.
Do you have anything to add? Thanks for your interest in our band! We’d love to come to Europe/Scandinavia and perform for new audiences.