When this website was around as a magazine I got a lot of satisfaction helping out the newer bands, ones who might just be starting out or were overlooked for one reason or another. The Last Stand boasts members who have been playing hardcore music for quite some time but in essence this is a fresh start for all involved. Consisting of ex-members of Shutdown (Dion DeNardo-bass, Stephen Della Croce- guitar, Jimmy McCormack-drums) and Mike Scondotto singing… (Mike also sings for Inhuman). With Shutdown’s singer Mark Scondotto (Mike’s younger brother) relocation to Florida it was almost inevitable that the remaining Shutdown members would get that itch to continue playing hardcore music and here we are. Their self titled 7” caught my attention right away and with a full length album in the works things are looking up for The Last Stand who undoubtedly

you will be hearing from in 2012.

Interview with Mike and Dion on

January 17^th, 2012.

IE: How many shows has TLS played up to this point and what would you say were some of the best ones or most memorable ones?

MIKE: I was counting, but I stopped. I am going to say almost 30 or in the early 30’s? My personal faves have been the shows we did with Trapped Under Ice in February 2011 in NYC, a show we did in April of 2011 at Trash Bar in Brooklyn, a show with Sick of it All and Maximum Penalty in upstate NY and the show we did in December 2011 with Vision in NJ.

DION:The best show for me so far was our show with Vision recently in NJ. Dave hooked us up with the show. He and I are friends and we became close in Europe on tour with Agnostic Front.  It was awesome because although we were a new band opening the show the Jersey crowd gave us a chance and by the end of the set I thought we had them. That’s what it’s about.

IE: Is this band up for touring, say in a summer time/European tour type of thing or are you looking more at close to NY weekend type of stuff?

MIKE: We are totally looking to go to Europe as well as go anywhere in the US that we can. I recently told a friend of mine that TLS is a serious band, but we are also a realistic band. We are all working full time, serious jobs, and 3 of the 4 of us are married, and 2 of the four of us have children. But we love Hardcore and love playing shows, period. That is why the band exists. We can’t drop everything and go to Europe, but if things are right and the timing is right, sure. Same for shows in the USA.

IE: Dion wrote all the music and lyrics for the songs on the 7 inch. As a lead singer for a band does it feel weird singing someone else's lyrics that you didn't have a hand in writing? Going forward will you be having more of a hand in writing the lyrics?

MIKE: Yeah, it was a little strange for me as a singer who has sung 99.9% of his own lyrics for 16 years to come in and sing someone else’s lyrics, but it was also a bit of a relief to a degree. As far as the songs on the demo/7” go – I did re-work some lines here and there and I also changed the name of 2 songs being “Watch You Go” and “Change”, but yes Dion did all of the rest. Going forward, I will say that I will contribute more lyrics and there will be more of my input on the full length. Dion is not hard to deal with at all as far as re-working stuff goes and he is totally open to changing stuff.

IE: I don’t even own a record player and am not at all sentimental over vinyl. Do you find a lot of people out there like myself and do you sell downloadable versions of the 7”from yourselves or the label?

MIKE: Vinyl right now and for the past few years is on a huge upswing. Hardcore, Punk, Metal never really fully stopped making vinyl, thankfully. I am a vinyl collector and I thrilled that they are selling again. It is true that not everyone has a record player, but lately more do than you think. Also, many buy it just to “have” and never play it, which is cool, but for me personally I’d play it. Yes, the 7” does come with a digital download and we also sell the 7” songs on our site.

IE: So you have this new project with a full length album on American Enemy records out of Kansas City. How does a band from Brooklyn get hooked up with a label from the Midwest and is there an actual contract or just a verbal agreement with them?

MIKE: American Enemy found us through Facebook actually. However, one of the label owners worked at Victory Records during the time that Shutdown was on Victory and is even in the infamous “Few and Far Between” video that they shot. We did sign an agreement for one full length with one option for them and we all have to agree on the option so it is somewhat like a one record deal, which is fine. American Enemy is a brand new label, but they are enthusiastic and so far seem cool.

IE: Can we expect any surprises on the full length?

MIKE: Now how would it be a surprise if we told you? No surprises other than a record of 100% Hardcore from the heart. A lot of the songs have this great groove, Dion is a great Hardcore songwriter, that’s for sure.

DION: Straight up NYHC with catchy vocals, groove parts, fast parts and some heavy parts - that’s what we do.

IE: Can we expect the same style that we saw on the demo/7 inch?

MIKE: Yes, for sure. We didn’t go Metal or Punk or anything. I love the 7” because it is a nice mix of different types of Hardcore I think. One of my favorite songs on the LP is a song we do live now called “Unleashed”. It is a bit harder than some of the other songs, but by no means Metal. I co-wrote the lyrics to it with Dion.

IE: How about any guest appearances and or singers on the full length?

MIKE: There may be one guest appearance, but I can’t say just yet, sorry. I will say the title is more than likely going to be “The Time Is Now” – a focus on the present and the future. It is a statement of intent if you will. Although everyone in the band has a history in Hardcore, this band is a new chapter for us all. 

IE: You have Jerry Farley producing, What other noteworthy stuff has he produced?

DION: Jerry is an up and coming producer working out of Nova Studios in Staten Island and we are longtime friends. I was in my first band with him called Muddlehead back in the mid 90’s before I was in Shutdown and we had a split 7" on Back to Basics. Jerry actually helped us out with the demo, piecing everything together on his free time for almost nothing.  I told him if this band does anything he gets a shot at the first record. It’s an opportunity for everyone involved. When the American Enemy deal came up, we as a band made a decision to go with Jerry.

IE: You guys made a video for the song “Opportunities Lost and Found”. Not knowing where I would start if I had to make one how do you go about making a music video and what steps are involved?

MIKE: It is crazy because I think TLS is a very fortunate band. We did not pay for the video. The video was done by John from www.smutlife.com. He surely deserves the plug. We love you John! John and I found each other, if I remember correctly, on Facebook. You know people can say what they want about Facebook, but shit is getting done as a result of it. Anyway, John likes all kinds of music and has done videos for Hip Hop and Metal bands as well. He loved the demo cd, especially “Opportunities…” and came to us with the idea for the video. How does any band say no to a video? As of right now it is being edited and will more than likely be done 100% by the end of January.

IE: Your website has a short teaser of the video but up to now it still is not  complete. What has been holding it up?

MIKE: All of it was just due to scheduling really. We shot the performance footage at Lucky 13 Saloon in Brooklyn where I have been a patron of since 2003 when it opened. Hello and thank you to Melody and Jeff from L13! But we wanted the video to be a mix of live footage and the footage at the bar. We have the live footage all set now, so it will be done soon.

IE: The band has a website, Facebook, Twitter, and My Space pages and for a hardcore band doing it on your own I have to give you guys credit because there are a lot of bands that do not. Who does all this for you and is it really time consuming?

MIKE: Me and Dion do all of that stuff. How can you have a band and NOT do that stuff? You make time. It is only a pain in the ass if you make it a pain in the ass. The bands that don’t have to deal with things like that are playing a different kind of music than Hardcore. Part of what Hardcore is about is connecting with people, the kids, the fans. The internet, Facebook in particular, has been a tremendous tool to do just that.

IE: All the members have been involved with playing in hardcore bands for quite some time now. What are some of the major differences you see now overall compared to the times when you first started playing this music?

DION: As a band we are very professional. Show up early, play your time slot, play in tune, stay sober, and be pro. This comes with years of touring and playing shows. Even though we are a new band we take playing and performing very seriously and strive to perform at a high level every night. This professional attitude is also present at rehearsals. When recording and writing, no nonsense. Strictly business but fun. As for myself I have definitely become more of a song writer rather than a riff writer. With Shutdown we mostly pieced riffs together and left the vocals and lyrics up to Mark. With TLS I think about the whole song top to bottom.  I think I write with much more direction and focus now than when I was younger. I really appreciate the whole process it takes to be in a band. Writing, rehearsing, performing, recording, and improving.

MIKE: When I think back to the early days of playing shows up until now the biggest difference is that I am 100% better now than I was in say 1995 when Inhuman did our first show. My voice is better and my lyric writing is better. Playing with TLS and playing with Inhuman are 2 very different things. I have a lot of fun with both, but it is just different. With TLS, half of the band (Jimmy and Steve) are Straight Edge and they are also the 2 band members that have children. These guys just don’t have as much free time as me and Dion, but we make it work. We all make it work and are quite serious in
the studio and on stage. With Inhuman, the overall vibe is more serious and dark, but our schedule is now loose and we do it when we want to and when we can. My brothers in Inhuman and my brothers in TLS are all a part of a large extended NYHC family really. The “dark” and “light” respectively.

IE: Shutdown had a pretty big following and track record. How was it for the Shutdown members to come to the realization that if you all wanted to keep playing together that you would basically have to start from scratch again with Mark (Shutdown singer) living in Florida now?

DION: It was a process. I always knew I needed to play hardcore but in order to do that the right way I would need to start something new.  It isn’t easy starting over but it is nice to be building again. TLS is the first band I have started from scratch. Every other band I had played in existed before I joined. It is rewarding for me to be writing and playing in a band that is totally my thing.  Nothing worth anything is easy, so bring it on.

IE: Is there a good chance these songs just have been new Shutdown songs?

DION: Some of them in their first stages before vocals and lyrics would have been but as I started to experiment with vocal lines and lyrics TLS started to form and they were written for a new band. I think TLS has elements of both Shutdown and Inhuman… how could it not? It has now developed in to its own thing. Something new.

IE: If Mark still lived in NY would TLS be around today?

DION: That is a good question…yes I think so because I think every musician needs to experiment and try different things in order to grow.

MIKE: I am also going to say yes. Inhuman of course is Hardcore, but with TLS I am doing something that goes a bit back to basics, yet also mixes in the new as well. Part of the appeal of being asked to be in TLS is the newness factor…but I also like being able to play with people I have known for over 17 years too. Part of me feels like I am in a band with 3 younger brothers and that is great. I have watched these guys grow up essentially and I love playing Hardcore with them.

IE: Mike's other band Inhuman recently played their first show in over a year. What are Inhuman's plans recording wise, touring wise and can they possibly conflict with upcoming TLS projects?

MIKE: Right now there is no set plan with Inhuman. 2012 marks our 17th year as a band. We are now a 5 piece with our old guitarist Walter on 2^nd guitar and it sounds awesome. Inhuman will play and record when we can. We are unsigned at the moment, but we may very well be putting out the older records on vinyl for the first time ever in 2012. Keep an eye out for that. Inhuman is still around because we still love doing it and still have people that care. I am happy to be doing both bands.

IE: What are some of your personal interests outside of playing music?

DION: Weight training, biking, NFL, movies, cigars, and good music.

MIKE: DVD watching and collecting, CD and LP listening and collecting, comic book reading and collecting as well as regular books. I am the print, movie and music industry’s best friend… trust me.

IE: Most embarrassing artist on your iPod that you are willing to admit here?

DION: Probably Linkin Park… I guess it's not cool to like them if you’re into underground music but I think they are great songwriters especially the hooks in the songs. Vocally I think Chester is awesome, but I’m not to into the rap parts though.

MIKE: I don’t like any “bad” music in my opinion. (laughing)… but I think the track “Gold” by Spandau Ballet may raise a few eyebrows…but if you know me, it is no real shock at all. However I am still all about all things Hardcore, Punk and Metal and will be for life.

IE: Anything else to add before we wrap this up?

MIKE: I just want to say that I feel very fortunate to be in Hardcore for as long as I have, 24 years in 2012. I want to thank everyone for the support they have given TLS and I think our LP will make you all quite happy. Real Hardcore is alive in NYC and this record will show that.

DION: Keep an eye and ear out for new the TLS LP and new Hardcore music. How else will this scene grow? Thank you to all.