IE: Early on Jimmy G from Murphy's Law was on the BNB Radio Takeover team, what led to him not being a regular host anymore?

Buske: Like everything in life, sometimes it just doesn't fit into a proper schedule in your life. Jimmy is a very busy guy and between juggling work, his band and personal affairs, it just got to be too much of a load to carry. No hard feelings, Jimmy is our brother so we respect his decision.

IE: Is there a lot in the way of prep work for each weeks show? What do you do prep wise leading up to a show?

Buske: Not really. I typically send Cuz 12-15 songs every week and he chooses 15-20 from his collection and that makes up the set list. If there are new releases that week, we try to fit them into the list as well to help promote the release. When we have guests on, there's a little bit more prep that goes into the show because we kind of tailor the show to fit the guest, but all in all, it's nothing too crazy.

IE: Each time I tune in you guys seem to be super loose and always are ripping on each other in a fun way and in general just seem to be having a party with your friends on the air. Would it be safe to say you guys might have an adult beverage or two before or during the show?

Buske: Life is a party, my man… and what party isn't complete without a couple of cold ones and toddy's?

IE: Has there been any talk of having bands play live on the air?

Buske: Considering the size of the room, it doesn't lend itself very well to have bands play live on the air. We have however discussed having bands play live sets from a remote location and doing the radio show from there although it hasn't quite panned out just yet.

IE: Do you guys have any other ideas that you may be kicking around to make the show even better?

Buske: We're always brainstorming on something, yeah. Don't wanna give out any secret ingredients though.

IE: East Village Radio has a unique logistical setting. Can you tell us where you broadcast from and what's the setup like?

Buske: Basically, the studio that we do the show in is a 7 x 4 box right on 1st Avenue (in NYC). The entire front is glass with all the DJ equipment and microphones set up so we're basically like in a fish bowl yelling and screaming, playing obnoxious punk/hardcore music right on 1st Avenue. It's a very unique experience to say the least. Especially considering most people have the impression when they hear "radio show" that you're indoors in a soundproof, perfectly EQ'd booth. Not the case here.

IE: This location leads to a lot of friends hanging outside at times. Any crazy stories from this situation considering your basically doing the show on the street?

Buske: We have the occasional bum stop by and entertain us but all in all, most people just cruise right by. There is actually a great video of this female bum that used to hang out with us every week that you can check out on my Vimeo page. She seemed to take a liking to Damian but she hasn't been around in a minute. Check it: http://vimeo.com/10225025

IE: Does EVR give you numbers as to how many people are listening to BNB Radio?

Buske: They've never really given us or shown actual logistics, however, we've been told it's anywhere between 20,000 and 30,000 listeners.

IE: The amount of people you can potentially reach is mind boggling since you can reach anyone with a computer or smart phone. Do you get a lot of feedback from outside of the US?

Buske: Absolutely. We've gotten interest from Australia, Japan, South America, Indonesia and tons of other places. It's amazing how global this shit is.

IE: Being an online radio show gives you a lot more leeway than if you were on regular radio. I would imagine though that EVR must have some kind of rules or restrictions though.

Buske: Not really, it's pretty much a no rules type of policy there. Obviously, we have no censorship so we are free to use whatever language we choose but sometimes political stances and opinions on air don't mesh well with the station heads but it's also understood that our views don't reflect the views of EVR in general. But all in all, they give us total freedom.

IE: What kind of arrangement do you have with EVR? Not monetarily, but is there a contract or something along those lines for how long you will be with them or is it something more of a handshake deal?

Buske: Nah, just a handshake and a smile type deal. No money has ever been exchanged — it's merely a labor of love for us. Although a paycheck here and there would be nice considering the work we have put into the show and station. But, nonetheless, we're grateful for the opportunity.

IE: Real life and family issues have to creep in from time to time. Have you guys missed shows before and what usually are the circumstances? I have heard Paul Bearer fill in as host, who else has filled in?

Buske: Yeah, of course. Cuz is an electrician and works nights from time to time and plays a lot of hockey so he's had to miss some shows due to that. Laurens plays in Skarhead, so he's missed some shows due to that. I have a baby and a wife who travels for work often, so I've had to miss some shows due to that as well, but we've got a good team of dudes behind us that could (and do) fill in for us. Our brother Ivan who played in Unforgiven has stepped in for me in the past and as you said, Pauly and Jimmy G step in from time to time as well.

IE: And what are some of the new bands out there that you are liking these days?

Buske: It's incredible how many good REAL hardcore bands there are right now. This shit is far from dead. We suggest anyone that thinks otherwise to check out any band named here; Backtrack, Trapped Under Ice, Naysayer, Fire & Ice, Take Offense, Out Crowd, Twitching Tongues, Incendiary, Soul Search, World War 4, Turnstile, The Rival Mob, Battle Ruins, King Nine, Friend Or Foe, Expire, Downpresser, Suburban Scum, No One Rules, Rotting Out, Dead End Path, Born Annoying, Bitter End, Power Trip, Trauma, Brain Slug and CREEM to name a few.

IE: On air you are the go to guy for band info and seem to be very knowledgeable with band info, members etc. How long have you been listening to hardcore music and why do you think you’re able to retain so much info?

Buske: I've been listening to punk/hardcore since the late 80's. It was the first music that actually spoke to me and resonated in me. By the early 90's in my teen years, I was fully committed to learning the history and the whereabouts of all these bands that were speaking to me and molding me. I think that's where I acquired a huge amount of my wits in terms of band knowledge, because I was literally absorbing everything and anything I could relating to punk/hardcore. I did and still do my homework. I would read through thanks lists and any band I had never heard before, I would go buy their music… and again I do the same shit now, to this day. This shit is my life, on the real, so to learn about its roots and history is fun and inspiring to me. 

IE: You also are a bass player and have been in a bunch of bands over the years, can you give us the names of the bands you are in and have been in?

Buske: My first band was Another Victim in 1997. Jamey Hatebreed released an EP for us and we later recorded another EP for Equal Vision before disbanding in 1999. After AV I did a band called Santa Sangre from 1999-2001. We released a full length on Eulogy, did a tour with Killswitch Engage and Everytime I Die (before anyone even knew those bands names) that was completely atrocious, had internal beefs and disbanded. Following SS, I did The Promise from 2001-2005 which was basically AV again, just a little bit more grown up. The Promise released an EP on Deathwish and a full length on Indecision. We toured the world and disbanded due to personal issues. I then joined Terror from 2005-2008. I recorded on the "The Damned, The Shamed" full length as well as the "Rhythm Amongst The Chaos" EP, toured the world with them and foolishly quit the band. I am currently working on 2 new projects, both unnamed. 1 of those projects features Doug who I played with in Terror as well as Rob from Cannibal Corpse and JC from Pro-Pain. We have about 15 songs written and plan on recording something this year, hopefully with Human Furnace from Ringworm on vocals. The 2nd project is with Ricky from Backtrack and Anthony from Sheer Terror. We have 4 songs recorded for that but are still trying to find the right singer. I also fill in for Maximum Penalty from time to time and just recently for Madball.

IE: Can you give us a short list of who has been some of your favorite guests over the course of the shows run?

Buske: First and foremost, all our guests are great and we really appreciate them giving us their time to come on the show. A personal favorite for me was sitting down with Mike Judge. Buster from Bad Manners was great to talk with as well. Drew Stone is always a great guest. The Biohazard guys (Danny and Billy) are fun, Joey Z from Life Of Agony, the Suburban Scum dudes are great. Again, everyone we have on is a good time.

IE: Who is the band that did the Black N Blue intro song?

Buske: Quincy, who played drums in Murphy's Law did that intro for us. Damian did the intro with all the "Black and Blue" samples in it.

IE: Bands often listen back to their earlier work and hear little things here and there that they wish they could do over. Does this happen for you as radio hosts in a sense? When you think back to the earlier shows what are some of the noticeable differences to the product you are putting on today?

Buske: I haven't listened back to a show in years actually. I'm pretty comfortable with where we're at now. When we leave the studio, I feel good about what we just did, so I really don't have the concern to go back and analyze the show for errors, blunders or anything else. I think the show is cool because we aren't professionals and we do as we do — it's a very natural presence. I think the only thing really different from last weeks show compared to the first couple shows is that we've figured out how to flow and work with each other more. But again, the magic of the show is that it's all unscripted and off the cuff.

IE: I know I asked a lot of stuff, anything else to add before we end the interview?

Buske: Shout out to all the staff at East Village Radio and Lil Frankie's for tolerating a crew of animals such as ourselves week after week. Thank you to all the guest and contributors of the show… without you, the radio show is nothing. Any bands interested in airplay, feel free to hit us up. Send us your music with track listings and all band info. Thank you, Chris, for the interview and all your support as well. HARDCORE STILL LIVES!!!  

Black N Blue Takeover

PO Box 116

Baldwin, NY 11510


info@blacknblueproductions.net



http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/blackandbluetakeover/